Strange and Beautiful
by Quicklove202
Summary: One would think Quinn Fabray would know better than to embark on a spontaneous road trip with a handsome stranger, considering all the trouble she'd ever gotten herself into whenever a boy was concerned. Quinn/Gale.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Yes, so here I am yet again with another little somethin' somethin' that would not leave me alone until I gave in and started writing it down on paper. Somehow my favorite Aqualung song - _Strange and Beautiful_ (from where the title came from) and a revist of old Glee episodes (no doubt due to the unfortunate passing of our Cory; it still feels like it hasn't completely sunk in yet) has somehow spawned this little ditty.**

**It's random, just as all my other stories are, but not a oneshot, maybe...a three or fourshot? Really depends on how long I make the chapters (and if I get some feedback or not).**

**Set during Glee's S2 Finale episode 'New York'.**

**Anyways, read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

New York City is - as everyone says - unlike any other place in the world.

But while 'the city that never sleeps' has been defined as the cultural capital of the world, he knew right off the bat that this place was not for him.

In all his life, Gale had never seen so many people in one place before, nor had he seen so many towering buildings that could make him feel an inch tall. It was like being on a whole different planet. The people, the traffic, all the constant movement practically had his head spinning. A feeling he would no doubt get over if he chose to go to school here but still…

This place was just not his cup of tea. Plain and simple.

Lifting his gaze to admire the green above him, he continued his stroll through the one place he really liked. Central Park. It was huge and one could easily get lost if they didn't know where they were going, kind of like the woods back home. He actually felt like he could breathe here - the rest of the city left him feeling confined.

"_Other cities always make me mad_

_Other places always me sad_

_No other city ever made me glad_

_Except New York, New York!"_

Frowning deeply as his ears picked up on the music, he turned his head. His eyebrows automatically lift in confusion as a colorful group of teenagers frolicked through the park, singing as they went. It was a strange enough sight to make him stop and watch, while the few around him continued about their business without so much as a second glance.

Maybe they were a part of a performing troupe that did it for money or something, like those musicians on the street corners.

He follows each of them with his eyes, watching one by one as their figures retreated into the distance, the music carrying off with them. He shakes his head at the sight, then lets his gaze linger on the last member of the group, a blonde wearing a neon orange jacket, who had fallen - or chosen to stay - behind.

He watches the girl closely, intrigued by her. He figures its her beauty that piques his curiosity - after all what else does he have to go on, really, it's not like he knows her - but the longer he stares at her, the more he feels like there something else to it. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He automatically shakes the thought off as nothing, as it probably is just that - _nothing_. And as he refocuses his attention, he's startled to find the girl he had been watching now staring _directly _at him. He blinks for a second, absolutely dumbstruck by those surprisingly haunting green eyes. Another moment passes and he realizes he should probably (try to) smile or drop his eyes or do something, _anything_, but he's at a standstill.

He doesn't know why - it isn't like he's a stranger to pretty girls staring at him - but he is.

She gives him a faint smile, albeit a wary expression, before turning and continuing in following the path her friends had just taken, but at her own leisurely pace. Eventually though she picks up her pace when she notices another girl, this one wearing yellow and green, looking ticked off as she waited (impatiently) for her to catch up.

When the two girls are out of sight, he turns back around and stalks off in the opposite direction, all the while wondering in the back of his mind if he'll be lucky enough to ever see her again.

He highly doubts he will, but that doesn't keep his thoughts from lingering on her.

* * *

She knows she should be happy.

She was in New York City after all, far from Lima - though still unfortunately close to Finn and Rachel but whatever - along with her closest friends (she calls them that despite questioning whether or not it's the appropriate term - she isn't exactly what you'd call _close_ with any of them really.)

And while she _wants_ to be happy, she can't help but feel like happiness is so damn far out of her reach right now that she shouldn't even bother trying to achieve it. Cause really what good would it do? All she ever did was fail. She failed as a Cheerio. She failed as girlfriend (all times). She failed as a prom queen. Failed both as a daughter _and_ as a mother.

Failure was practically her middle name.

And in a couple days she was going to be even more of a failure - though at least that one would entirely be Mr. Schuester's fault. Sometimes she really questions the man's optimism.

Does he honestly believe the New Directions can just come to New York with no songs or choreography prepared prior and win first place at Nationals, just like that?

She might not know a lot about show choir, but she did know a thing or two about winning - from Cheerios - and anyone with common sense would know that you don't win a national title by waiting until the very last minute to organize a routine.

Sure Mr. Schuester had only been running glee club for two years, but one would think he would know better.

Apparently not cause here they all were, just days away from competition, with no set list, no choreography, no anything. They don't even have their teacher with them (where is he anyways?).

She would be beyond surprised if they made in the top ten, let alone actually win.

"…_Pick up a date, maybe seven or eight_

_Paris and London, oh baby you can keep_

_Baby you can keep_

_Baby you can keep…"_

As the others launch into another chorus of their little mash-up, "_I Love New York/New York, New York_", she glances around at her surroundings, doing her best to keep up with their gallivanting antics while at the same time trying to actually take in the sights.

She knows it had been her idea to leave the hotel, but she hadn't exactly meant that they go out and _run_ about the city _singing_ about how much they love New York. They probably looked like absolute idiots to the locals, and pathetic to the fellow tourists, but whatever. It was proving to be a good distraction and she was just glad to get out of that damn hotel room - which did absolutely nothing to help her claustrophobia by the way - and get in as much fresh air as she could before they went back to that hatbox of a room.

It's in Central Park that she really starts to lag behind everyone else, it being the one place she had really wanted to see at least once before they left for home. Her eyes fitted over the overwhelming expanse of greenery with a small relaxed sigh, the others having already continued on without her. In the back of her mind she knows she probably shouldn't let them go off without her - she hadn't exactly been paying attention to the route they had taken from the hotel - but she's too awestruck by the beauty around her to really care.

She hadn't even realized someone was watching her until she locked eyes with a young man who - for all she knew - had been staring at her this entire time. She blinked in surprise, then unconsciously grazed over him, taking in his appearance a little. He was certainly quite handsome, what with his dark hair, strong jaw, and intense grey eyes.

She manages a faint smile geared toward him, though silently wonders why the hell he was staring at her. Sure he was rugged (_cute_ seemed like too weak an adjective), and his staring wasn't exactly all _that_ unwanted but that didn't mean he couldn't be like, a rapist or serial killer or something.

Shaking her head at the thought, she turns back around and keeps walking. Halfway down the path she notices Santana waiting down by the end, arms crossed and foot tapping with her usual impatience. She's both surprised and grateful that the Latina had bothered to wait for her at all and immediately picks up her pace. As they walk away together she surpasses the urge to steal another glance over her shoulder and see if the guy was still staring.

She kind of has the feeling he is. And for some reason that doesn't bother her as much as it probably should.

* * *

As she predicted, they don't win nationals.

They don't even place. They gave it their all - she knows she sure as hell did, even if she didn't really care about a show choir competition, a Fabray never did anything half-assed - but Finn and Rachel's little public display of affection proved to be the group's kiss of death.

A fact that caused Santana to all but lose her mind. She still could hear the Latina cursing out their teammates in the other room, her empty threats reverberating off the thin walls and no doubt annoying the hell out of the other guests on their floor.

Having long given up on trying to calm - not to mention _restrain_ - Santana, she maneuvers around the unoccupied girls' room, quickly stuffing her things into her suitcase, eager to get her packing done before the others return. Her body's sore, both from nationals and from Santana's recent assault (she doesn't even know why bothered to help the others restrain the girl. She knows better not to and it's not like she cares about Rachel's well being or anything.)

She should have just Santana beat the shit out of Rachel like she wanted. It would have been the simpler, and less physically taxing, route for sure. Probably more entertaining too.

She absentmindedly runs her fingers through her now shorter hair - contrary to Santana's belief, getting a haircut _hadn't_ made her feel better - once her packing was finished.

It had been a long day and she really wanted nothing more than to go to bed early, but with the way Santana was going at it in the other room - and since she didn't sound like she would be stopping anytime soon - she found it unlikely that that would happen.

Without a second thought she reaches for her purse and her room key card. She figures she might as well go down to the lobby - or hell maybe even outside - and wait out the storm known as Hurricane Santana there. She doesn't want to spend anymore time in this hotel room than she has to anyways.

Fortunately she's able to make it out of the hallway and down to the lobby unseen. She knows she might be pushing her luck by leaving the hotel, but can't really bring herself to care. Why should Kurt and Rachel be the only ones who get to venture off on their own?

As soon as she's out of the hotel, she automatically tries not to feel too intimidated by how different New York looks at night. She shoves her hands in her jacket pockets and starts walking. She knows she's out of her element but she can't will herself to turn back. At least not before she makes it around the corner.

Which she doesn't even get to before she crashes straight into someone's chest.

Fantastic.

She stumbles backwards, like she had just walked into a wall, and blinks heavily as two arms cautiously grab either side of her arms. "Sorry," she quickly apologies, taking a sudden step back as the arms drop. She lifts her gaze and her eyes automatically widen in surprise. "You."

What were the odds that she would bump into the same guy she had caught staring at her back in Central Park a few days ago?

Mr. Tall, dark, and handsome quirks a questioning brow at her. "Me?"

She nods. "I saw you at Central Park a few days ago." He towered over her so she had to crane her neck back a little. "You were…staring at me."

His eyes narrow and she wonders if it's the short hair that has him stumped or just the fact that he doesn't remember her. She figures it's the latter considering how many people there are in this city and how many of them he must have seen from then until now.

"You were the one in the orange, running around and singing with those kids."

"Uh, yeah." She could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment at the reminder. "That was me."

He nods and a quiet moment hangs in the air between them. She opens her mouth, intending on saying something along the lines of "Well nice bumping into you, bye" to get out of this awkward lapse of silence, but he's unceremoniously bumped into by a rather large man passing them in that moment and when he starts shaking his head in contempt, and swearing, she instead asks, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Is it that obvious?" His gaze falls back to her, the grimace still etched across his face.

"Don't worry," she says with surprising kindness, despite knowing this guy could very well be stalking her. "I'm not from around here either." She surprises herself further by taking her hand out of her pocket and offering it to him, "Ohio."

Since when is she nice to strange guys?

His mouth quirks into something like a smile, except that there was no warmth to it. "Tennessee." he replies as their hands shake.

"So Tennessee," she breathes when their hands drop. Her head cocks to the side as she looks up at him, eyes playfully narrowed. "are you stalking me?"

She catches the flicker of amusement in his eyes before he nods his head in all seriousness, his expression unwavering as he spoke. "Yes."

Knowing that a true stalker would never admit to stalking, she allows herself to smile and nod in return. "I've never had my own stalker before," she begins, partially impressed that he was able to keep up the reserved expression without cracking. "You do this with a lot of girls?"

"As many as I can." he responds, the smile evident in his voice but not on his face. "So, Ohio," After a quick glance at their surroundings he refocuses his attention on her, the look on his face less rigid. "where you headed?"

His gaze rakes over her, his blue-grey eyes startling under dark lashes.

"I don't know actually." she confesses, turning her head with a shrug. "I'm technically not even supposed to be out here." She gestures to the hotel behind them with a heavy grimace.

"Parents?" he guesses, to which she shakes her head at.

"Teacher. I'm on a school trip." She doesn't dare tell him its for a show choir competition. She was pretty sure that, even outside Ohio, glee club was considered beyond lame and she really doesn't feel like being made fun of for it right now.

"Well aren't you the little rebel? Sneaking out." She smiles a little when she meets his gaze again, only to find him shaking his head in mock disapproval at her. "I don't know if I should be stalking such a bad egg like you anymore, you might rub off on me."

"You know, it astonishes me how much you look like a _normal_ person."

He gives a soft snort that she realizes is actually a laugh. "I could say the same to you, Ohio." he retorts. She merely rolls her eyes in response.

He gives her a sidelong glance - one she clearly notices and tries not to blush at - before speaking up again. "You want to get some pizza?" he asks, genuinely surprising her. "I know of a place not too far from here that's pretty damn good."

She purses her lips together. She's not abhorred by the idea, but she really doesn't want to lead him on. After two failed relationships back to back she neither had the desire nor the self-esteem to jump into another one so soon.

But then again maybe she was just reading too much this and his offer was as innocent as it sounded and he just wants to have some pizza with a fellow non-New Yorker. It would give her something to do, not to mention she would get to see some more of the city in the process (without getting lost).

She probably shouldn't be so trusting of a guy she hardly knows but she's uncomfortable with the idea of venturing out on her own - she'll admit to it - and she's certainly not about to go back to the hotel.

"Okay, I'm in." she finally says, to which he nods and begins leading her in the initial direction she had been going and he had come from. "After all what would a trip to New York be without trying some authentic New York pizza?"

"Exactly."

Together they walk, talking casually on the way and sometimes falling into a comfortable silence, too distracted by their own awe of the city. In the back of her mind she thinks of how nice it was to be talking to someone who _wasn't_ in the New Directions, who didn't go to McKinley, or who had any ties to the state of Ohio whatsoever.

It makes her that more desperate for graduation. For change.

* * *

The pizza is by far the best she's ever had.

As soon as she finishes her half - they share a large Canadian bacon and pineapple after discovering their mutual preference - she knows right away that she will never be able to eat another slice from Domino's again, nor will she be able to live without New York pizza (she saves the pizzeria's takeout menu so she'll have the contact information she needs for when she returns - which she will).

"When do you leave, Ohio?" he questions, breaking the temporary lull between them. They're near the hotel she realizes, she can see it in the distance. She's surprised that he actually remembered how to get back there, cause she sure as hell didn't.

"Tomorrow morning." she replies with a small sigh, her hand reaching into her pocket for her phone. Halfway into their pizza her phone received an overwhelming number of text messages - all from various members of the glee club who were freaking out over her absence.

It had taken them long enough to notice.

And while she had ignored almost all of them, she did reply to Santana's text(s), informing the Latina that she would be back at the hotel in a little while and assuring her that a search party (Rachel's idea) was completely unnecessary.

She mentally sighs in relief when she checks her phone and sees that she has no new text messages. After the first dozen messages she had silenced her phone, the constant beeping quickly annoying the hell out of her.

"What about you, Tennessee?" she wonders, pocketing her phone as she reverts her gaze. They both know each other's true name now - his is Gale - but stick to the nicknames, frankly because it's more fun that way.

And if there's anything she could do more with in her life, it was _fun_.

"I was thinking tonight." he responds, flicking the toothpick he'd gotten from the restaurant into a nearby trash can.

She nods, knowing that he was only in New York as part of his college road trip, where he checked out a few of the schools - in various states outside, yet not too far from, Tennessee - he had interests in. And since he had already checked out NYU, nothing else was really keeping him here….except maybe the pizza (or so he says).

It had her thinking that maybe she should do the same - go check out prospective colleges - after all she had no better plans for summer, but it wasn't exactly the kind of thing she would want to do alone.

It was times like this where she kind of wished she had real friends.

"Want to join me?" Gale suddenly asks, effectively yanking her out of her friendless thoughts.

Her head snaps towards him, having heard his words but confused as to what context it had risen from. Surely she had missed something and he really wasn't asking what she thought he was asking. "Excuse me?"

"You're going home tomorrow anyways. I'm driving back to Tennessee, it's not like Ohio's _that_ out of my way. It'll take a couple hours longer to get there than it would by plane but…" he gives an offhanded shrug, his words fading into the distance. He turns to her as if to say, _'What do you think?'_

She thinks he might be kookier than she initially thought.

"Why?"

"Why _not_?"

"Because," she begins cautiously, "You don't just offer to drive someone you _barely_ even know all the way to _Ohio_. I could…I could be a serial killer for all you know!" She scowls when he has the audacity to laugh at her. Like _she's_ the one being ridiculous.

_He's_ the one who just offered to take a relative stranger to Ohio. She internally scoffed. The very idea! It was one thing to go out for pizza, a whole other to jump in his car and drive off together.

She may be a small town girl, but she's not _that_ naïve.

"Are you?" Gale questions, sounding as though he would be highly amused if she said she were - a serial killer that is.

"Of course not." she snaps. If anyone was a serial killer it was _him_. And even if she actually agreed to go along with him, with her luck, he would probably end up murdering her then throwing her remains into a ditch to rot.

Yeah, _no_ thank you.

"Even if you end up annoying the hell out of me, I promise I won't just ditch you somewhere." he assures, that amused grin still gracing his features.

"Why would you even want to go _anywhere _with me?" As soon as the words leave her mouth, it hits her. Why would a guy like him do anything when it comes to girls? She inwardly groaned, suddenly feeling like a total idiot. How could she not have caught on sooner?

"Oh I get it." she starts, more to herself than to him. "You just want me to sleep with you." She shakes her head in contempt and ignores the way his brows lift in surprise, as the anger begins to build inside her. If there's anything she hates more, it's being made a fool of.

"Guys will do or say anything if it means possibly getting laid, won't you? You're disgusting, you know that? What, is this like a new pickup line guys are using that I don't know about?"

She had half a mind to slap him.

"Hey, just cause you're a girl doesn't automatically mean I want to sleep with you." he clarifies with a serious frown. "And even if I had just wanted sex, I wouldn't have asked you to go on like, a _ten _hour drive with me in hope that I might get some."

"Then why did you offer to drive me to Ohio?"

He shrugs. "To be honest I don't really know." He knows that's a weak answer so he tries to elaborate. "I guess it's because I find you interesting."

"Interesting?" Her eyebrow arches skeptically. They hardly talked about things she would qualify as examples of interesting character.

"You'd be surprised at how so few interesting girls there are in this world, Ohio." Is all he says in return.

She's still not convinced. "So what, you spend your time hitting up girls to see if they're interesting and if they pass the test you ask them to go on a road trip with you?"

He breathes out a frustrated groan - and an under the breath swear - before throwing out, "Look evidently no answer I give you is going to satisfy you, so just forget I said anything."

As he turns and walks ahead of her, she watches him with pursed lips. Because, despite the complete ludicrousness of his idea, she, for some unknown reason, found herself actually _considering_ it.

It wasn't like it would be hard. She already had her things packed. All she had to do was get it from the room and go. Sure Mr. Schuester would freak if she left on her own but it wasn't like she was ditching to go south of the border or something. She would still get home, just a few hours later than the rest of the club did.

And the less time she had to spend in the same vicinity as Finn and Rachel, the better (even if it meant going on a spontaneous road trip with a guy she just met).

Besides it was liable to be the only chance for adventure she'll be getting until she went off to college next year. And even if it turned out to be the worst idea ever, at least she'll have a good story to tell to her friends one day.

Hopefully.

She shuts her eyes tightly and deeply exhales before calling after him, her mind made up. "What kind of music do you listen to?"

Her eyes fly open and thankfully he hasn't gotten so far that she had to scream out in order for him to hear her. She watches, relieved, as he pauses and turns around. "What?"

"What kind of music do you listen to." she calmly repeats, taking a few steps forward to lessen the distance between them. "Because if I don't agree with your taste, I'm going to have to make it a condition that I get _some_ control of the radio."

"Country and classic rock mostly." he replies, a little nonplused at her change in attitude. "Wait, so does this mean you're actually…?"

She breathes out another heavy sigh and shakes her head. "I don't know who's crazier, you for bringing up this whole idea, or me for actually going along with it." Despite that she can't help but smile a little.

"Let's just say we're both a little crazy."

"But _good_ crazy." she clarifies, getting a small chuckle out of him. "Not _serial killer _crazy."

"No, definitely not serial killer crazy." he agrees, stopping once they reach the entrance to her hotel. "But it would make for an funny story, don't you think? Two serial killers going on a road trip together."

"Yeah, it just screams 'Comedy of the year'." she says wryly, reaching into her purse for her room key card. Gale watches her and when she successfully retrieves it, he begins, "So you'll go grab your things and I'll go get my car. I'll meet you back here?"

She nods her agreement, feeling her anticipation grow. As insane as this all was - and she knows it was - she'd much rather drive to Lima with Gale than be stuck on a plane with the New Directions.

"I shouldn't be long." she tells him, already heading toward the glass doors of the hotel entrance.

He grabs her arm at the last second and beckons to her. "Let me have your phone first."

She pulls it out without question and hands it over to him, having an idea of what he wanted it for. "Call if you reach any snags." he says, his thumbs swiftly moving across her phone before he hands it back to her. His number now in her contact list.

"The same goes for you." she says, hitting the send button on her phone, where then his own phone beeps from having received her message. He nods and quickly makes his way down the street, but before he disappears from sight - and just as she's about to step inside the hotel - he turns around and calls out to her, "By the way you look cute with the new haircut, Ohio!"

She shakes her head and pushes her way into the hotel lobby, a small smile playing across her lips. She knows its pathetic but she would be lying if she said his compliment hadn't made her feel a _little_ bit better.

* * *

She's practically giddy when she exits the elevator, her things in tow.

Lucky for her, everyone had been asleep when she had gotten to the room - no doubt exhausted from the long day - and was able to grab her things and get the hell out of there without any trouble. On the elevator ride down, she had made sure to text Santana what was going on before leaving a voicemail on her mother's phone to let her know the same. The last thing she wanted was for them to file a missing person's report or something.

"Everything go alright?" Gale questions the second she meets him out front. She shakes her head and follows him around the corner to where his car was parked. "Yeah, you?"

"I was jumped by three drag queens and a little person on the way to my car." he responds offhandedly, stopping at a dark blue mustang - a detail she only knows because of the horse symbol on the front - that looked like it was older than either one of them (maybe even combined).

She chuckles and stops at the curb. As he opens the trunk, she shrugs off her duffel bag and hands it over to him to put away. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks, pausing after he closed the trunk.

"I do if you still do." She hopes he does. She really doesn't want to come crawling back to the hotel room, not that she'd be able to get in anyways - she had left her key card on the hallway table thinking she would never have use for it again.

"I do." he assures, walking around the other side of the car while she moved to the passenger side. "I'm just making sure _you_ do. I don't want to have to turn around halfway out of the city."

"You won't. I promise."

She slides into her seat and closes the door behind her, then pulls her seatbelt across her chest.

"I should warn you that I have pepper spray." she promptly informs him as he's buckling himself in and she's smoothing out her skirt. "And a taser." (She really doesn't have a taser, but the pepper spray she does). "So if you try anything funny on this trip, I swear to God I won't hesitate-"

"No need to paint me a picture, Ohio." he interrupts, sticking the key in the ignition and bringing his car to life. "I got your message loud and clear. But just so you know, the same goes for you too."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't act like you've never checked me out." he replies, turning his head as he backed out of the parking space. "Not that I'm not flattered, cause I am, I just don't want you to get the idea that you can take advantage of me…"

She snorts at that comment. "Yeah, cause I'd totally want to take advantage of _you_." She doesn't hesitate to roll her eyes. "Please."

"Just saying. I can be awfully cute when I want to be." he says with a hint of a smile as she leans back into the seat. "You might be tempted, Ohio."

She shakes her head again and sighs. "I'll do my best to restrain myself if that happens, Tennessee."

"That's all I'm asking."

"Though I can't make any guarantees." she adds, tearing her gaze away from her window. She laughs at his priceless expression.

* * *

**AN: ****Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Glad to see that a few have taken an interest in this thing! Means a lot. Anyways, Read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

It isn't until the familiar music of Eurythmics' "_Sweet Dreams_" seeps into her unconscious and simultaneously awakens her that Quinn realizes she had been asleep.

At first she can't remember where she is, but as the seconds slowly pass it eventually all comes back to her.

She straightens up in her seat, eyes still blinking drowsily, before her hand comes up to her mouth to muffle a yawn. As her eyes adjust to the light, she silently wonders how long she had nodded off for. Judging by the brightness outside she suspects quite a while.

She steals a glance at Gale whose focus was directly on the road ahead. His fingers mindlessly tapping along to the beat.

He doesn't even bat an eyelash her way.

She's perfectly okay with that - seeing as how she _just_ woke up and would at least like the chance to inspect her reflection a mirror before he makes any kind of eye contact with her.

Wordlessly, she reaches down and pulls her purse up onto her lap. After popping a tic-tac, she opens her compact mirror and does a quick scan of her face (no gross eye crust anywhere in sight, thank God).

After she deems herself acceptable, she snaps her compact close. She's just about to ask Gale where exactly they are when she catches sight of a sign up ahead that reads, "Buckle up, Virginia! It's a law we can _live_ with."

She stares at the sign until it passes them by before she turns back to him. She does her best not to sound panicked. "I thought you said you would take me home to _Ohio_."

Last time she checked Virginia was _not_ en route to Ohio.

"I am." he responds, his eyes unwavering from the road. He lowers the volume of the radio so they don't have to talk over the commercials. "I've just decided to take the long way."

"The long way?" she repeats, brow arched questionably.

"We'll go through a few more states and it'll take longer to get to Ohio, but you said so yourself you're not in a hurry to get home." He gives her a sideways glance before looking straight ahead again.

"Right." While that much was true, she still would have preferred he consult with her on the change in schedule. After all, she did technically have school to return to on Monday.

"If it's a problem just tell me." he says, tearing his gaze off the road. "I can still get you home to Ohio in no time."

She shakes her head despite the whole 'school' thing. Yes, there were still a few days left in the school year before the official start of summer break, but since finals were already over and done with, there was really no point to attending the last week.

Those days were mainly dedicated to cleaning out lockers and yearbook signing anyways.

"No, it's fine." she assures him, leaning back against the headrest and sighing. The longer she spent away from Ohio, the better.

She looks at him again after checking the time. "Have you been driving nonstop this whole time?" It was nearly two in the afternoon.

Gale shakes his head. "I pulled over to the side of the road about an hour after you dozed off. That was around 5:30. I was back on the highway at around ten."

She nods her head, silently recalling the events of last night (technically early hours of this morning) in her mind. They had spent most of the night - she's going to go with _night_ - talking, getting to know one another a little better. They kept things light, mainly swapping the typical artificial details about themselves (such as favorite food, or favorite movie) and letting the conversation grow from there.

They abstained from delving into deeper personal issues - whether intentionally on his part, she does not know. Regardless she was grateful for it. Because while she very much liked Gale - as a _friend_ - she had no desire whatsoever to unload all of her baggage onto him. Now or ever.

"Do you want to stop for breakfast?" Gale asks, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Or should I say lunch? I'm starved."

She nods. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

She enters the diner; a rush of air conditioned coolness greeting her. She turns and pockets her cell phone on her way down the center aisle, to where Gale is already seated in one of the booths. Exasperated, she slides into the seat opposite him. "Did you order already?"

His gaze lifts from his menu and he shakes his head. She reaches for her own laminated menu tucked behind the salt and pepper shakers. "No. How'd she take it?"

"Not great." she replies, opening up her menu. "But then again I don't know of any mother who would be okay with her daughter gallivanting off with a strange boy she just met in New York."

For the past fifteen minutes she had been pacing around outside the diner, by the car, half listening to her mother bark and demand she get home immediately. Needless to say, her mother hadn't been thrilled with the change in plans - though really she had been horrified with it all to begin with when she learned from Quinn's voicemail that her daughter would not be returning home with the rest of her glee club.

"I assured her that there was no need to worry." she continued, still browsing the menu. "That I was safe and would be home soon enough, but you know mothers…"

"You've got some nerve, Ohio." Gale comments, taking a sip from his complimentary water, and shaking his head. "My mother would _kill_ me if I pulled a stunt like that."

"Mine wouldn't dare risk her reputation like that." she responds curtly, closing her menu and setting it down on the table.

Though it's the middle of the afternoon, they both order breakfast entrées. Gale orders something called the 'lumberjack special' - which is basically every breakfast item the diner offers on one plate - while she sticks to a simple order of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

It'll be the biggest breakfast she's had since…well since she was pregnant. Seeing as how she had been on the Cheerios for the first half of the school year meant being on their strict diet. As for the latter half, she remained on the diet solely to ensure she looked absolutely _perfect_ in her prom dress.

Not that it did any good.

Finn may have called her 'the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen' but her beauty alone couldn't stop him from eye-fucking Rachel the entire night.

Thankfully their food comes before she has the chance to harp on that disastrous evening even more. Quickly ridding herself of all Finn and Rachel related thoughts, she pulls her plate closer to her and picks up her fork. She's practically salivating from the smell of the bacon alone.

She's in the middle of cutting up her pancakes when she notices Gale eyeing side of bacon she had ordered. "Trying to get an early start on clogging your arteries?" he inquires, eyebrow arched.

She tries not to feel self-conscious about it but it's too late. "You are not one to talk." she murmurs, sheepishly bringing the small plate closer to her. Her gaze darts back to his plate. "I'll be surprised if you make it out of here without having a heart attack."

"Hey, I'm a growing boy." he retorts, reaching across the table and picking up the ketchup bottle. "I need my protein."

She snorts and swallows the bite of pancake she had just chewed. "I'm pretty sure ketchup is not considered protein." she comments, looking on with slight distaste as he squirts the condiment all over his scrambled eggs.

"Ketchup is made from tomatoes. Tomatoes are good for you. End of story."

She laughs despite herself and turns back to her food. They eat in relative silence for awhile before she decides to bring back the conversation. She's usually the one who has to initiate it, Gale not being much of a talker. "So now that you've finished your little college road trip, are you any closer to deciding which schools you want to apply to?" She lifts her gaze away from her plate in time to see him shrug.

"Not really." There was a pause; she could sense his reluctance to continue. "The whole trip was really my mom's idea. I only did it so she'd stop nagging me. Well, _that_ and I thought having some time to myself would be nice."

She nods understandingly, knowing he had three younger siblings at home. She quietly picks at what's left of her food, tearing off a piece of bacon from the strip and tossing it into her mouth. "So…do you _not_ want to go to college?" That was kind of the vibe she was getting from him.

He let out a breath and raises his shoulders again, still absentmindedly pushing around the last of his eggs with his fork. "I'm not sure. I mean I know with a college degree I'll be able to lead a better life and whatnot, but I don't know, I've just never really been sold on the idea." He drops his fork and leans back in his seat.

"School was never really my thing to begin with. I get good grades, don't get me wrong, but I just, I feel like there are better ways I could be spending my time than sitting in a classroom, learning subjects I really don't even care about."

"So what do _you_ want to do?"

"I've been looking into the military." he responds quietly, running a hand through his hair before letting it drop to his side. "Though I haven't mentioned it to my mom. It would kill her if she found out I had any interests in joining." He straightens his posture and reaches into his back pocket for his wallet when their waitress drops off their check.

As she reaches for her own wallet, she innocently asks, "What does your dad think about you wanting to go into the military?"

She looks over at Gale expectantly, only to find him stiff as a board, the tension practically rolling off his body in waves. It didn't take a genius to know that she had asked the wrong question.

She swallows hard, feeling her own muscles clench in response. The god awful feeling that something had happened to his father leaving her wishing she hadn't mentioned him at all.

Gale's out of his seat and taking the check to the register up front before she can even think of a way to get herself out of the hole she had unknowingly stepped into.

Though it had been an honest misstep - it wasn't like she could have known after all - she still feels terrible about it. She proceeds to slide out from her side of the booth, but not before leaving what she hoped was enough for an adequate tip on the table.

He doesn't say a word to her on the way back to the car, nor when they're back on the road. Several times she found herself opening her mouth to say something, _anything_, in order to make amends only to shut it at the last second. She loathed to admit it but as the minutes passed, and the number of attempts she made to speak grew, she was quickly coming to realize that Gale was one of those rare few who - whether he realized it or not - actually intimidated her.

A fact that did not sit well with her in the slightest. She was the intimidat_or_, not the 'intimidatee'.

"Gale," she starts, calling him by his given name for the first time since they met. "I'm-"

"You don't have to apologize." he interjects tonelessly without looking at her. "You didn't know."

"Yeah…" She feels like she should give her condolences, but at the same time feels like it might tick him off in some way. He doesn't look annoyed with her, just serious (and maybe a little broody), and if she had taken away anything from his earlier silence - aside from the fact that he's intimidating as hell - it was that the subject of his father was clearly one he did not wish to talk about.

And since she knows better than anyone what it feels like to have certain aspects of your life that you just don't want to talk about, she doesn't press the matter any further.

Instead she changes the line of conversation and (reluctantly) tells him the reason behind her school trip to NYC. She figures once he hears the words 'glee club' he will be left with no choice but to tease her about it and they'll be one step closer to getting away from this uncomfortable atmosphere.

Surprisingly, he _doesn't_ tease her about being in glee club. Maybe it was due to the fact that he had never even heard of a glee club prior to her mentioning it, but either way it was nice to _not_ be teased about being in glee. For once.

Shortly thereafter she began mentioning (offhandedly) a few things that had happened so far during her time in glee club. That is, the things that were liable to peak Gale's interest and maybe get him out of the mood he was still in.

Like the fact that she had been in a mattress commercial. Or the fact that her school's nurse gave their entire glee club so-called 'Vitamin D' that had them wired like the energizer bunny for days.

Or that once she - along with the rest of the New Directions - performed at their school's alcohol awareness assembly completely intoxicated (whenever she needs a good laugh she just visualizes Brittany throwing up on Rachel, over _and_ over again - that never gets old.)

Naturally Gale was intrigued by all of the above and she had to do her best to hide her triumphant smile when he practically demanded clarification, his sullen demeanor all but a thing of the past.

* * *

He's laughing so hard he has tears in his eyes.

It takes Gale a minute before he's able to push back from his previously hunched over position, the laughter raking through him so hard, he could barely breathe.

He was damn glad he'd had the good sense to pull over when he did otherwise he probably would have crashed the car already.

He shakes his head in disbelief, then turns to her. "What the fuck kind of a school do you go to, Ohio?" he inquires, wiping at the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Evidently not a very good one." she eventually manages out between giggles. She's wiping at her eyes too, breathing slowly in attempt to calm down her own laughter. "I take it nothing like that has ever happened at your high school."

"A teacher trying to fire a cheerleader out of a cannon?" He shakes his head, still chuckling as he pictures the very image. "Afraid not."

She laughs again and damn it if isn't a great sound - not to mention infectious. "So, Tennessee," His eyes fall on her as her body turns toward him expectantly. "What have you learned today?"

"Britney Spears causes sex riots."

She smiles at his answer before nodding and gesturing to him to continue. "_And?_"

"That I am never to allow a _Journey_ song to pass through this vehicle's speakers while you reside in it…unless I want to lose a body part." he recites, using her exact words.

"Very good." She nods her approval. "But the most important thing you should take away from all this?"

"Lima, Ohio breeds crazy."

Another laugh. "Well, that and you should _never_ - under any circumstances - join a glee club."

"Duly noted." he replies, takings a brief moment to scan their surroundings. He hadn't been paying too much attention to them earlier. He had been a little preoccupied with trying not to suffocate from the laughter.

It's only a few seconds before his attention reverts back to his companion. "So are you planning on staying in glee club for your final year?" he asks, the love/hate relationship she had with the group spiking his curiosity.

"I don't know to be honest." she sighs. "I find myself dreading the very idea of having to sit through another year in that choir room, but at the same time…" she drifts off with another shake of her head. "It's complicated."

She, like him, was guarded when it came to talking about personal matters. He knows that this glee club of hers is a big part of her life - probably more so that she'll ever admit - and that there are things she's purposely keeping him in the dark about (he could tell by the way she would be talking and then she would catch herself before saying something she apparently shouldn't, thereby making her words falter and her go uneasy) but he isn't one to pry - nor does he like it when people try to - so he shuts his mouth and turns the car back on.

He figures that since their little bout of hysteria has died down they should probably get back on the road. He'd had them parked in a fairly empty parking lot of a Wendy's - the first place he was able to get to before he keeled over from laughing so hard.

They didn't talk much for most of the drive, but for some reason, the silence didn't feel uncomfortable. Unlike the silence that passed between them earlier.

He knew it had been his fault but it wasn't like it was something he wanted to happen. Though he may have come across as mad, he really hadn't been - how could he, it wasn't like she had known about his dad - it was just how he got sometimes. Even after all these years, the subject of his father was a sensitive one and though he tried to keep it from effecting him the way it did, every time someone as much as mentioned him, his tendency to close off kicked in and subsequently had him go into one of his so-called 'moods'.

"Can we stop at a motel tonight?" comes Quinn's voice, bringing him out of his thoughts.

He raises an eyebrow at her, then smirks at the way her eyes narrow in contempt.

"I mean so I can _shower_."

"I don't know…" he sighs, turning his attention back to road and tapping his fingers against the wheel. "If you just want to shower I'm sure we can find you a perfectly good garden hose somewhere…"

She smacks him in the shoulder and then smiles despite herself, dropping her head against the headrest. "Jerk."

* * *

It's late in the evening when they reach North Carolina.

His fingers are tapping against the steering wheel, to the beat of the music. Next to him, Quinn is softly singing along to the radio. Her voice is like her, he decides. Pretty, quiet and just a little unsure. Sweet, but with a hidden note of steel.

When he thinks she isn't paying attention, he casually lowers the volume just a tad so he can hear more of her voice than the original singer - not that he has anything against Stevie Nicks. He relaxes back in his seat, and continues to silently revel in the sound of her voice. Eventually his gaze falls back to her, and when she notices, she abruptly stops her singing and turns away from him.

"Don't stop." he says, with a slight frown. "You're good. _Really_ good."

She scoffs a little, then shakes her head as her gaze falls to her hands. "I mean it." he continues, tearing his eyes away from her only to focus on the road ahead. "You've got a beautiful voice."

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her lips quirk up in a small smile. "Thanks."

"Are you ever going to sing again while in this car, or what?" he asks, sometime later. He'd just caught her clearly mouthing the words to Coldwater Creedence and he couldn't help but feel a little irritated that she was keeping herself from singing outright. Why, he'll never understand.

She purses her lips together before raising her shoulders in a shrug. "Maybe I just don't want to sing alone." she drawls, giving him a sideways glance, and smile. "Now if you were to join me -"

He shakes his head and shuts that idea down before she can even get it into words. "I don't sing."

"So?"

"So I _don't_ sing."

She doesn't hesitate to roll her eyes at him. "Doesn't mean you _can't_. C'mon." She gently pokes his side, making him jerk to the side. "Sing with me."

He firmly shakes his head again. "No way in hell."

He only ever sang for one person, and that person was his baby sister, Posy. And even then it was only when he had trouble getting her to sleep (Prior to his death, his father always used to sing to his mother's stomach during her pregnancy with Posy right before she settled down for the night; and after his passing, it was Gale's voice that was the only one able to comfort her).

"You're no fun."

He laughs, but it's so quiet it comes out as more of a sharp exhale. "You'd be surprised at how many times I've heard that before."

"Actually, no I wouldn't."

Catching sight of her teasing smile, he scowls at her. "Jerk."

* * *

**AN: At this rate there might be a few more chapters than I anticipated, hope you all don't mind. **

**Thanks for reading and reviews would be greatly appreciated (If I get some, I'll be sure to post the next chapter right away).**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Read, enjoy, review!**

* * *

She really should have known better.

How she could have ever thought of Gale Hawthorne as anything other than a stubborn, ill-tempered, pain in the ass is beyond her.

Things had been going just fine. After their brief stay in that motel in North Carolina they had both come to a mutual decision to change up the monotony that was sitting in the car and driving all day. As neither of them had been this way south before, they decided to take this opportunity to see the sights and explore the area(s).

And it was fun, exploring new places and getting to see what life was like outside of the state of Ohio. The fact that she was actually comfortable with Gale made it all even better. Even when they were in relative silence it wasn't awkward. Which was beyond nice, because, since he knows so little about her (they still stay away from deep personal issues, _thank God_), she isn't expected to act in a certain way. She doesn't have to be Quinn Fabray: the perfect daughter, or the straight A student, the caring girlfriend, the head Cheerio (really _bitch_), or any of the other roles she often assumes when interacting with people.

With Gale, she can just be herself. And damn if it didn't feel good.

But of course, as in all relationships (even one as platonic as theirs) things are never perfect.

Like most people they don't agree on everything. They have their different views, their beliefs, preferences. Granted they have a great deal in common, but at the same time have their difference in opinion. It ranges in everything from movies to politics.

Needless to say they've already had their fair share of arguments. Some of which are just disagreements between two very stubborn people, others it's just Gale doing whatever he can to tick her off - which he likes to do; an irritating hobby of his she's found (naturally she returns the favor when she can, but it then usually leads to tense car rides).

But unlike most people, when the wrong words are said, their tempers flare (Gale can literally go from zero to sixty at the drop of a hat) and all hell breaks loose. Like a tornado colliding with a volcano - just in the form of two determined teenagers.

One might speculate this as sexual tension but she refuses to go there. That would imply that there was more to their relationship than amity and she can't even allow herself to think like that. She just can't.

Though at the moment she's not really concerned about thinking of him in _that_ way. She's too busy plotting his murder - which will be slow and painful if she can help it.

"You smell like wet dog."

She has to take in a deep breath to keep from snapping at him (because she knows he's just fishing for hotheaded reaction from her). A few seconds pass before she can confidently respond in an even voice, "Then you shouldn't have thrown me in a _lake_."

It's the reason why she's currently sitting in the passenger seat of his car, _dripping wet_, with her clothes clinging to her body in the most uncomfortable ways.

She turns her head toward her open window. The wind is no doubt tangling her hair into a mess, but as of right now she couldn't care less. The heat is too damn much - even with her wet clothes, her body still somehow manages to be hot - and seeing as how Gale's car has no air conditioning, it's either this or fanning herself with her own hand.

They're in the middle of Georgia now and it's beyond humid. The temperatures were high and their tolerance of one another was at an all time low. Everything he did irritated the hell out of her and vise versa.

So naturally getting into a fight hadn't been too difficult.

She'll admit she can't remember exactly how the whole thing started. All she knew was that one minute they were arguing in the car, the next he was pulling over to the side of the road, getting out, and pulling _her_ out of the car (literally _pulling_, she distinctly remembers holding onto the door frame at one point).

Then, before she knew it, he was throwing her over his shoulder like she was the Jane to his Tarzan - while she's kicking and screaming for him to put her down - and trudging through the backwoods they had been driving through, toward a small lake she hadn't even noticed prior.

It was only a matter of seconds before he launched her god knows how many feet in the air and she landed in gross, murky lake water.

"You were the one complaining about the damn heat."

"It doesn't give you the right to manhandle me and throw me in a _lake_." she huffs. "There could have been alligators in there! I could have been torn to pieces!"

"I was doing you a _favor_, Ohio." he cuts in before she can rant any further. "You were hot, I figured taking you for a swim would shut you up. You're so fucking temperamental, you know that? What is it, your time of the month or something?"

She scoffs and turns to give him her infamous ice queen stare. "Tonight you should really think about sleeping with your eyes open. Otherwise you might just wake up _without_ a certain body part of yours."

He snorts slightly, catching her look. Her jaw tightens when his lips curve upward into a smirk. "You're cute when you think you're threatening."

"Shut up." she scowls before she folds her arms and looks away. He was lucky he was driving otherwise she already would have slugged him.

"We need to find a gas station or something, so I can get changed." she says after a while, grudgingly breaking the heavy silence that had fallen between them. She would have been perfectly content with not talking to him for the rest of the way, but she wasn't about to spend another minute in these damp clothes.

"Yeah, OK." he replies, glancing over his shoulder before he took the nearest turnoff. "We need to get gas anyways."

As soon as they pull up to the nearest gas station, she hops out of the car and walks around to the trunk. It isn't until she's rifling through her bag that she realizes today's outfit had been the last of her clean clothes.

She swears and taps the hood of the trunk, biting her lip as she tried to figure how to proceed. She didn't particularly relish in the idea of wearing dirty clothes, but she would if she had to.

Though underwear, on the other hand, is a different story.

She knows its her own and its not like anyone else has ever worn them - or will - but it makes her skin crawl just thinking about re-wearing underwear she's already worn and has yet to wash.

With that in mind she closes the hood and walks over to Gale, who's holding the gas pump and steadily watching the numbers on the machine go up.

"We need to find a Laundromat." she promptly informs him, just as he stops the pump. "I'm out of clean clothes."

She crosses her arms, half expecting some kind of smart remark in return, but he just nods and presses the button for a receipt. "Yeah, sure."

She rolls her eyes and swiftly turns back around to get to her side of the car. Just like him to be the most annoying person on the planet one minute then back to 'normal' Gale the next.

* * *

The Laundromat is empty save for one other person. It's hotter than it is outside - something she didn't think possible - which's probably the reason for the vacancy. No one in their right mind would dare do laundry at this time of day, in this heat.

She returns from the restroom, fairly surprised at its cleanliness, and proceeds toward Gale with her lake water laden dress tucked in a bundle under her arm. She sets it down on her Cheerios duffel bag which is on top of the washing machine next to the one that was currently filling with water. "Did you get the detergent?"

She reluctantly turns to him and thanks him when he hands over the little box of detergent she'd asked him to get from the machine. She avoids his gaze during the exchange, but can clearly feel his eyes on her as she dumps the soap into the machine. His staring is no doubt due to the fact that she's currently wearing (borrowing) _his_ clothes.

She'd only done it so she could wash the dress she had been wearing today - it was one of her favorites and she didn't want it to get all gross and moldy from the water - but she was slowly starting to doubt if it was really worth it. Being in his clothes was uncomfortably personal, not to mention she felt like a complete dork wearing his two times her size clothes.

Plus Gale was _still_ staring at her.

"Don't you have clothes you want to wash?" she asks, throwing in her clothes into the water one at a time. "Surely you're running out of clean clothes too." Her cheeks redden when she gets to her bras and underwear and she quickly shoves those in, praying she had been too quick for him to notice them.

"I figure I'll wait until we get to my house." he responds, pushing himself up onto the machine next to hers.

Her brow instantly furrows. "What do you mean _we_?" She looks up from her clothes and stares at him expectantly.

"We need to make a pit stop at my house. Don't worry it's on the way." he adds, catching her look. "I need to change the oil on the car and the stuff I need's there."

"Can't you just stop at a garage or something?" she wonders, partly annoyed that he was once again making decisions without talking to her about it first. She didn't exactly want to go to his house and potentially have an awkward meet and greet with his family.

"I'm not gonna waste my hard earned money over something I can do myself for free." he retorts, lifting his hands above his head and throwing the empty detergent box into a nearby trashcan like some kind of basketball player.

"Fine." she relents, letting the lid fall close with a clang. Gale hops off the washing machine he'd been sitting on and nods his head toward the exit. "Let's go outside. It's too damn hot in here."

While she agrees, she's uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her clothes unaccompanied. Well, that, and she _really_ doesn't want to be walking around town looking the way she does.

"They'll be fine." he assures her, as if reading her mind. "Come on, we can grab some food in the meantime."

She's caught off guard when he takes her hand in his.

Her eyes flash from their now interlocked hands to his face, then looks away when she sees that he's oblivious to the fact that he had just grabbed her hand. While he's busy leading her out of the sweatbox they call a Laundromat she's wracking her brain on how to proceed.

Does she let him hold her hand? Does she let go? Does she yell at him for thinking he could just take her hand like that? Or does she make a joke about him wanting to hold her hand and tease him about it?

If she dared to yell at him, Gale would definitely lash out, which would just lead to another pointless fight and many hours of sulking thereafter. And if she dared try and joke about it, he'd just get all flustered, then angry and broody (he hates being embarrassed almost as much as she does).

She figures it best (really, _safe_) to just hold his hand.

She tries not to let her thoughts linger on how firm his grasp is or how rough his hand is - from the calluses - in comparison to hers. She tries even harder not to dwell on how nice it feels to be holding his hand. Stupidly, heat flickers through her in that moment. It makes her tense for a second because she knows it definitely _wasn't_ from the weather.

They eventually reach the car and he releases her hand before he moves toward his side. She's still a little unsure if he had even realized he'd taken her hand in the first place. He's not making eye contact with her at the moment (then again he rarely does), but she knows that even if he was, the chances of her getting a clue from his expression are slim to none.

He, like her, is very good at masking his emotions when he wants to.

* * *

She's still in Gale's clothes.

It's been a few hours since they've left the Laundromat and her Cheerios duffel bag that's filled with her newly cleaned clothes is on the backseat. She could have easily changed into something else back at the Laundromat restroom but she chose not to.

She keeps telling herself it's because it would be silly to waste an outfit she only plans on wearing a little while longer (she intends to shower as soon as they get to a motel) and not because she liked wearing his clothes, specifically his soft, nice smelling, shirt.

Now that it's late in the evening the weather has become significantly less unbearable. As she gazes out the window in search of a motel, she notices a group of colorful women walking the sidewalk, all wearing clothing they _really_ shouldn't be.

"God there are some things you just can't _unsee_." Turning her head at the sound of Gale's voice, she chuckles at his expression. He had definitely caught sight of what she had just seen.

"Some women just don't seem to understand that leggings are_ not _pants." she sighs, feeling much better about herself having to walk into that café earlier wearing the clothes that she did. The cashier was probably just glad she wasn't wearing nude colored leggings and a shirt two sizes too small. Yuck.

She knew this was the South, but really? Didn't people check themselves out in a mirror before they left the house?

Evidently not.

.

It doesn't take them long before they find a suitable motel.

When they reach their room, Gale unlocks the door, pushes it open, and gropes for the lights. It's another typical motel room - with two large double beds, a round table, and a TV hanging from the painted concrete wall. While Gale walks forward she closes the door behind herself and locks it. He drops his bag on the bed closest to him, then blows out a breath, rubbing a hand across his face.

"I'll be in the shower." she announces almost immediately, depositing her bag on the other bed.

She's busy fishing for her toiletries and clothes when he responds.

"Yeah. I'll take one after you." he says, picking up the remote control to turn on the TV. "And try not to use up _all_ the warm water this time, Ohio."

"I can't make any promises, Tennessee." she chuckles, kicking off her flats and gathering up her things.

"This place's got a pool." he warns, reclining against his pillows and pushing off his shoes with his feet. "I won't hesitate to throw you in it if you don't."

"What is it with you and throwing me in large bodies of water?" she questions, lightly smacking his foot on her way to the bathroom.

"Just be thankful we're not near the ocean!" he calls after her, over the sound of the television.

"You know Gale, the more you talk, the more you're giving me incentive _not_ to leave you any warm water." she sing-songs before disappearing behind the door, closing it with a quiet laugh.

.

She _really_ doesn't want to leave the shower. The water's the perfect temperature and it's all just _so_ relaxing, she feels like she could just fall asleep in here at any moment. She wants to at least stay in here for a few more minutes, but since she doesn't want to risk wasting the hot water - Gale would _kill _her - she reluctantly turns the shower off and pushes back the curtain.

She quickly reaches for her towel, cursing as the warmth of her body fades due to the freezing air conditioning their room had. When she finally steps out, she promptly dries herself off and wraps her hair up in a towel.

As soon as she's completely dressed, she picks up her (Gale's) clothes off the floor and tucks them under her arm. Figuring it would be in poor taste to give them back to him without washing them first, she decides to hold onto them, at least until she can get to another washing machine.

She opens the bathroom door to ventilate the area, then briefly turns back to grab her hairbrush off the sink.

That's when her ears pick up on the singing.

Yeah, _singing_.

It's faint but unmistakable. She is not dreaming it up and it certainly _isn't_ coming from the television.

Which means it _has_ to be coming from Gale.

Without hesitation she moves closer to the doorway, but stays in the bathroom, straining to get a better listen. She doesn't dare go out into the room. She doesn't want to freak him out or anything because then he'd most likely stop.

"_For one so small,_

_ You seem so strong_

_My arms will hold you_

_ Keep you safe and warm…"_

It's tune she automatically recognizes, but she can't help but wonder why he is singing a song from a _Disney_ movie of all things. He was more of a Johnny Cash kind of a guy after all. Not that she was complaining - Gale's voice is wonderful and the song, well _that_ song always had the power to get her a little misty-eyed. But now more so than ever since she had Beth.

"_'Cause you'll be in my heart_

_Yes, you'll be in my heart_

_From this day on_

_Now and forever more…"_

There's a deep pang in her chest from just thinking about her daughter, whose birthday had passed while she was in New York City (Something which had played a big part in the little breakdown she'd had in front of Santana and Brittany at their hotel).

She shuts her eyes tightly, willing the tears back as far as they could go while at the same time taking deep calming breaths to keep in control. Hastily wiping at her eyes, once she feels she has a hold on herself, she discreetly peers into the bedroom to see what exactly is going on.

She finds him sitting on the edge of his bed now, holding his cell phone up to his mouth while he sings softly (yet deeply) into the speaker. She ducks back into the bathroom and sets her things back on the counter, then reverts to leaning against the doorway as she quietly brushes out her hair.

"Okay, Pose." She hears Gale say, his singing done. "I think I've sung you enough Disney songs for one night. Yeah, I'll be home sometime tomorrow. Be a good girl for mom, okay? Don't forget to say your prayers. Yeah, I love you too."

She waits a few minutes after he hangs up his phone before gathering up her things and walking back out into the room. "Bathroom's all yours." she says, doing her best to sound like she hadn't just been listening to him sing to his baby sister before she went to sleep. "And yes, I made sure to save _some_ hot water for you."

"Thanks." he murmurs, pushing himself upright. She watches out of the corner of her eye as he gathers up his own things. Sensing his unease, she doesn't try and bring up the matter of his singing - even if she does just want to compliment him on it. Instead she lets him go off to take his shower without another word.

.

She's half watching _Friends_ half checking her Facebook (why even bothers she doesn't know. It's not like she really cares what her 'friends' status updates entail) when she hears Gale come out of the bathroom. At first she doesn't think twice about it…until she catches sight of him walking past her bed without a shirt.

While he proceeds to put his things away, she tries not to stare - she _really_ does - at his bare torso, still slightly damp from the shower, but she's only human and she has a rather weak resolve when it comes to well toned males (If she hadn't she might never had slept with Puck or gotten together with Sam).

With a sideways glance, she watches his tanned shoulders move as he rummages through his bag. _God, he is so good-looking_. Heat instantly scorches her face at the unwanted thought as she turns her gaze back to her phone, cheeks flushed.

It ticks her off how attracted she is to him. It's not something she needs right now. At all. If there was anything she had learned from these past two years it's that attraction _always_ lands her in trouble.

Well, _that_ and boys. Really a combination of the two.

Either way Gale _really_ needs to put his damn shirt back on because she's _this_ close to chucking her phone at him for being such a damn tease.

* * *

**AN: Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Glad to see that this has gained a few people's interest! Anyways, Read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

He stays in the shower a lot longer than necessary.

And no, not for _that_ reason - although he'd be lying if he said the sight of Quinn in _his _clothes hadn't left him feeling _certain_ things. (It's moments like that where he thinks she's purposely trying to be a tease).

Gale tilts his head under the cool downpour and exhales deeply. Having Quinn as his only company was definitely starting to get to him. He doesn't want to admit it but he knows deep down it's true. (He still couldn't believe he had taken her hand earlier. He was so embarrassed over the whole thing it took him a while before he could speak again, let alone look her in the eye).

She isn't like any girl he's ever met before. She's as smart as she is funny - not to mention out of this world beautiful - and unlike the girls he typically hangs out back home he can actually hold a conversation with her. Sure she could be intimidating as hell (he'll never let on that he feels that way but it's the truth nevertheless) at times and could cut a person off at the knees with her words alone if provoked at the wrong time, but he liked that about her. She was feisty.

She always had him on his toes. One minute she could be sweet and approachable, the next she could be cross and distant. And then if she hasn't yet had her daily fix of bacon she could be just downright scary - but of course in the most adorable way possible. He never takes her insults personally though. It amuses him too much for him to be able to, which is why he teases her so much. It's fun to tick her off.

As soon as he shuts off the water, he runs a hand through his hair. He's probably spending _too_ much time thinking about her but he can't help it. He knows he's the quiet, reserved type who prefers to be alone whenever possible but he can't think of anyone else who could make him laugh, let alone genuinely smile, as much as she did. Which was yet another thing he liked about her.

Still there was so much he didn't know about her.

After drying himself off with his towel and stepping out of the shower, he reaches for his boxers and basketball shorts and throws them on. He's usually pretty good at reading people - you have to be if you're a hunter - but the mysteries that lurk beneath those deep green eyes of hers are something that even he couldn't begin to understand. And while he knows he and Quinn have kept things light for a reason, he thinks it might be time to change that.

It's when he opens the door to the bathroom that he remembers why he had been initially reluctant to leave the shower. Seeing as how Quinn had come out of the bathroom so soon after he'd had his little phone call with Posy, it had him paranoid that she might have overheard him singing in the bedroom.

He pulls the door open wider and flicks off the bathroom lights before stepping outside. He likes to think that maybe she hadn't heard him after all (wouldn't she have teased him about it the first thing out of the bathroom?), but he's got the sinking feeling that she might just be waiting to for the right moment before she gets him back for the whole lake incident.

With that in mind he heads back out to the room, not even giving Quinn a second glance as he passed by. He figures if he doesn't make eye contact with her she won't bring it up. "So what are we watching tonight?" he inquires, rummaging through his bag for a second before pulling out one of his worn t-shirts and throwing it on. He ignores the feeling of Quinn's eyes on his bare back and turns around.

"_Friends_." she says, setting her phone down on her side of the nightstand. "But we can watch something else if you want." She offers the remote to him from her spot on her bed but he shakes his head. He plops himself down on his bed and sighs. "Nah, this is okay."

For the first hour or so they didn't do much aside from silently watching together, chuckling along when it was too hard to contain. It was relaxing and what he thought to be comfortable, until he glanced Quinn's way and saw that she looked anything but. Their beds weren't that far apart from one another and he could clearly tell from his spot that she was on the verge of tears.

Confused, he looks back to television screen where Phoebe is talking to her newborn triplets then at Quinn again. He knows it's supposed to be an emotional scene but he didn't think it was _that_ emotional.

It's when she abruptly changes the channel that he straightens up in his seat and asks if she's alright.

"I'm fine." her voice cracks as she pulls her knees toward her chest. "I was just getting a little tired of that show." She hastily rubs at her eyes, her face turned away from his, as she tries to recompose herself.

"Hey," he gingerly pushes himself off his bed and moves over to hers, sitting down in front of her. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything."

"I know." she says quietly, gaze still averted. "I just don't want to talk about it."

He nods understandingly. "But it might make you feel better if you do talk about it." he says, his hand now on her back and rubbing the surface in what he hopes is a comforting motion. It works on his baby sister so he hopes it can work for Quinn too. "I won't judge if that's what you're worried about."

"It would be pretty hard not to."

He purses his lips together, wracking his brain on how to proceed. One option comes to mind and while he's a little hesitant, he figures he might as well go for it. "My dad died when I was thirteen." he says after a pause. He knows she probably already put two and two together about his dad after that moment in the diner but the way he sees it, she would be more willing to open up if he did. "He was in the army at the time. Overseas."

He exhales deeply, feeling a bit timid now that he has her attention. "He was taking part in a minefield-clearing operation when an old anti-tank mine exploded. My mom was still pregnant with my baby sister Posy when it happened. I'll never forget the day when that military officer came to our door and gave us the news."

Unbidden, the memory of the funeral infiltrates his train of thoughts. He could easily see the confused looks of his little brother Vick, from being too young to truly understand what was happening, the sound of Rory screaming for their dad, the inconsolable state of his pregnant mother. He swore that he'd never go to another funeral.

Feeling her hand on his arm, he clears his throat and pulls himself out of that memory. "It was tough on all of us. I wasn't a stranger to being the 'man of the house' when he was on tour, but it was different when he died. Before it used to be like I was just holding down the fort until he got back. Afterward it became very real how I was indeed _the man of the house_. I'm not gonna lie, at thirteen, the very idea scared the hell out of me."

He then confesses how overwhelmed he sometimes got from it all, working as many jobs as he could to help his mom with the bills, helping his younger brothers with his homework whenever they had trouble, helping his mother take care of baby Posy, always worrying that he wasn't doing a good enough job taking care of his family. He reveals how much he still misses his father, how much he wishes he still had his guidance. Or how it kills him that Posy will never know what an amazing dad her father was.

He doesn't meet her gaze for the most part, always keeping his focus elsewhere. He doesn't trust himself enough to look into her eyes as he speaks _and_ keep in control. He already feels like his eyes are red rimmed, though he refuses to let any tears fall.

Figuring it would be better if he changed to another topic, to one that didn't make him feel like crying, he starts to talk about his best friend Katniss, who had lost her father in the same mine explosion that had taken his. He tells Quinn how they had met by chance in the woods and how they soon thereafter became hunting partners, then eventual best friends.

He gets a little uncomfortable when he reveals the complicated nature of their relationship now. For the past couple years he's started to feel for Katniss in a _more than a friend _way and lately she had him thinking so did she. But apparently not. Why else would she tell him that there was someone else?

Before he knew it, he had found himself sucked into a love triangle he had wanted nothing apart of in the first place. If Katniss had wanted someone else, fine.

But making him feel like she had chosen him then saying she really wanted another guy? Not fine. He had enough on his plate as it was, the last thing he needed was stupid relationship drama.

"I'm sorry," Quinn says softly, once he's able to simmer down enough to let her speak. At least now he didn't have to worry about crying in front of her. "If it helps I know better than anyone what it feels like to be the losing side in a love triangle."

He finally looks to her and finds her giving him a small, bitter smile. He returns the gesture and gives her hand a small squeeze, then keeps her hand in his. They seemed to fit together in just the right way, effortlessly clasped, but he doesn't say anything about it. He doesn't want to risk her taking her hand away.

They sit in silence for a moment, reflective and a little bit tired. He hears Quinn exhale hesitantly and he automatically squeezes her hand in assurance. It isn't long before she's telling him everything that she had been keeping to herself prior. She tells him about her unhappy life at home, growing up in her older sister's shadow who she could never measure up to - at least in her parent's eyes - no matter how many achievements she made.

She confesses how, at school, she was the stereotypical mean girl, manipulating and lying to get what she wanted, cutting other people down with her words. She tells him how she cheated once and got pregnant. How she got disowned by her parents as a result. Essentially lost everything. How she gave away her daughter. How she cheated twice and got mono. How she has an unhealthy obsession with being popular. Her prom queen fiasco. How she was dumped at a funeral.

As she speaks, he thinks back to that day back in Central Park, when he first laid eyes on her. While her beauty surpassed that of anyone he knew, it was really her eyes that'd initially drew him in. They were a beautiful shade of green, but were so troubled. So many emotions - none of them positive - swirled through their depths and now, he finally understood why.

Hurt. Betrayal. Loss. Heartbreak. Those were just a few things she had to endure in the past two years alone. It's no wonder that he always thought her to be wiser than most girls her age. Apparently he wasn't the only one who had to grow up before their time.

Sighing, Quinn straightens up in her seat. "Sorry about that." she apologizes. "I know it's a lot to take in. I shouldn't have -"

"It's okay," he says quickly, brushing his thumb across the back of her hand. "I'm glad you did." And he truly is. He likes that there are no longer any secrets between them. He feels like it will make things easier for them now that they don't have to be so guarded about sharing personal information with one another.

"Probably not the perfect life you imagined me to have, is it."

"I never assumed your life to be perfect, Quinn. You do come from Ohio after all." She punches his arm gently and he chuckles. His smile fades though when he meets her eyes. "I just wish you didn't have to go through all that by yourself."

"Me too." She gives a small shrug. "But the way I see it, it's just the universe getting back at me for being the awful person that I was, well - _am_. You know, karma and all that."

"I don't think you're an awful person." he replies with a frown. "Yeah you've made your fair share of mistakes and there are better ways you could have handled them, but at least you're able to own up to them and express your regrets."

He watches as a single tear slides down her face and before he can think to brush it away, she swipes it at her cheek quickly, refusing to let him see her cry. "You must think I'm pathetic."

"You're too hard on yourself." he murmurs, shaking his head slightly. "And no, I don't think you're pathetic. Bacon obsessed, yes. Pathetic, no."

"I'm not obsessed." she grumbles, pushing away from him in order to lean back against her pillows. "I just happen to really, _really _like it. It's not like I need it to survive or anything."

"Now that's debatable." he grins, moving himself around so that he was sitting next to her. "I've experienced firsthand what Quinn Fabray is like when she has yet to have her daily bacon fix. Yikes." He starts humming the tune from _Psycho_ and it earns him another swat to the arm.

"Oh, shut up." she laughs. "Like you're any better without coffee."

"Never said that I was." he responds with a chuckle, reaching around her and grabbing the remote. He doesn't really think about it when he's settling back in his seat and putting an arm around her shoulder, unintentionally encouraging her to lean into him. He smiles to himself when she does in fact rest her head on his shoulder.

"You can change it back to _Friends_ if you want." she says quietly as he flips through the channels for something to watch. Being reminded of what led them to their little heart to heart in the first place, he assumes that it was the whole labor plot of the episode they had been watching that had Quinn so emotional.

"Do you think about her a lot?" The words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself. "Beth?"

He feels her tense against him but then she nods and admits quietly, "Every day."

He expects her to leave it at that, but to his surprise she continues. "She's a year old now." He hears her sniffle and he instinctively pulled her closer to him, feeling her body start to tremble. "Sometimes I dream that this past year has just been a nightmare and that I really hadn't given her away. That I had really kept her and she was sleeping in her crib, in the room next to mine. It all feels so real, so right. Then I wake up and it slowly sinks in that my nightmare's really just my reality and that my daughter really is god knows where, being raised, being _loved_ by some other woman."

"I would be so happy with her." she whimpers. "I just know it. Even if I had to do it alone."

"But you did the right thing." he whispers, one hand calmly stroking her hair. She buries his face into his chest. "You did what was best for her."

"I know I did. But I still hate myself for giving her away." Her body shakes with sobs and he sits up, still holding onto her before lifting her onto his lap. If there was anything in this world that could break his heart it was the sight of a girl crying. Through her sobs, she chokes out words, but he really couldn't understand what she was saying. She was crying too hard.

They stay like that for awhile, her bawling out her eyes, crying out everything she needed to get out, while he holds her in his arms and whispers words of comfort into her hair. Eventually she was able to calm down enough to move away from his chest. Immediately she starts apologizing. "I'm sorry about your shirt. I don't think I've ever cried that much before." He softly wipes away the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

"But you feel better, don't you?"

She nods. "Yeah. I've had everything bottled up for so long, it's nice to finally talk and get it all off my chest." She cringes a little, looking back at him. "I must have made you so uncomfortable though."

"Of course not." he assures, standing up after she moved out of his lap. He pulls at his shirt and looks at the wet stain on it, then back at her with a wry grin. "Just a little damp."

"Sorry about that." she says again, still embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it." He steps forward and takes her back into his embrace, giving her another hug. He holds her like that for a few moments before she pulls away again. "Thank you, Gale." she whispers, managing a faint smile.

"You're welcome, Quinn." He walks over to his duffel bag and is just about to change into another, _dryer _shirt when an idea comes to him. "Hey," he turns back around. "You wanna go out for ice cream? My treat." He figures it's still fairly early anyways and it's been a hell of a day. And what better way to lift their spirits than with ice cream?

"I can't remember the last time I had ice cream, let alone sugar." Quinn answers, the smile evident in her voice. He frowns a little at how her back is toward him. He doesn't understand why she feels the need to give him his privacy - it wasn't like he'd never changed his shirt in front of her before. "Just give me a minute to change."

"Don't take forever now." he calls after her, throwing on a pair of jeans while she slipped behind the bathroom door. "It's just ice cream. Not a date to the Oscars."

"Shut up!" she retorts, cracking the door open and poking her head out. "You take longer to get ready than I do."

"Hey, I'm all dressed." he says, gesturing to his ready appearance. "And you, on the other hand, are not."

"Whatever." With an eye roll, she closes the door again. Shaking his head, he turns and snatches his keys and wallet off the nightstand, then stuffs them in his pockets. He heads toward the door just as she comes out of the bathroom in her usual dress and cardigan attire. Evidently he'd managed to scare her because she jumped back when she saw that he was in the hallway, just outside the door. "God you ass, you scared me half to death."

"You freak at the weirdest things." he chuckles with another shake of his head. "Come on. You ready yet?"

She flicks off the lights in the bathroom, then nudges past him with a playful smile. "Just let me get my purse, Mr. Impatient."

He waits for a second at the door before she comes back with purse in hand. "Okay, Tennessee. Let's go."

On their way down to the car, he does his best to ignore the way their close proximity to one another has his stomach doing somersaults.

* * *

"All I'm saying is the fact that your idea of fun is hunting down poor, _innocent _creatures in the woods means that you may or may not turn out to become a serial killer in later years." Quinn states with an innocent shrug, her back resting against the seat. "Cruelty to animals is the first step, you know."

He shakes his head at her remark and she meets it with a playful smile, her spoon still in her mouth. "And here I was thinking we were friends." he sighs, jabbing his spoon back into his scoops of chocolate brownie ice cream.

After successfully getting their ice cream from a parlor that was apparently a local favorite -they spent nearly forty-five minutes waiting in line- he pulled into a nearby parking lot of a small park where they were now peacefully enjoying ice cream he can honestly say is the best he's ever had (Though really he would have been just as happy with a Fudgsicle from the 7-eleven).

"Oh we are. I just don't understand how can kill cute, furry, woodland animals, like bunnies!" An amused smile crosses his face at the way she pops up at her own exclamation. "You've probably killed _hundreds_ of Thumper's and Bambi's, and Flower's, and _all_ their families, haven't you?" When she turns to him expectantly, he snorts at the very idea, but goes along with her craziness (he figures it's the sugar kicking in) just to humor her.

"Yeah, you're right." he nods casually. "I've got Bambi's mother mounted on the living room wall and I made Thumper into a nice pair of slippers. As for Flower, I made him into a nice Davy Crockettesque hat. When we get to my house I'll be sure to show them to you."

The fact that she looks appalled makes him laugh outright. "That's awful!"

"Oh, and remind me to make you some of my famous rabbit stew!" he adds, still laughing, as he takes another bite. "It's a Hawthorne family favorite."

"That's - _you're_ disgusting!"

"Like you're any better, Ohio." he scoffs, glancing sideways at her. "You're eating pieces of pig in your ice cream for crying out loud!" He wrinkles his nose in distaste. Only in the South would you find something as disgusting as ice cream with pieces of bacon mixed into the batter. Gross.

"At least I didn't hunt it down!"

"You're probably pieces of eating Babe."

Her green eyes widen with horror, like that of a child who was just told Santa Claus wasn't real. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Or Wilbur." he replies with a smirk, not missing a beat. "Or Porky Pig. Or Piglet, even. Hampton J. Pig!"

Her eyes narrow in confusion at that last one. "_Who_?"

"Don't tell me you've never seen _Tiny Toons_." He starts shaking his head in mock contempt.

"I was more of an _Animaniacs_ girl myself." she responds, then taking another bite out of her ice cream. She moans like she's eating a spoonful of heaven. "Where on earth were you when I was pregnant?" she inquires to the half eaten dessert in her hand. "I would have killed to get my hands on you."

One of his eyebrows quirk questionably at the sight. "You do realize you're talking to your _ice cream_, right?"

She looks to him and matches his raised brow with one of her own. "And you do realize your zipper has been down since we left the motel, right?"

* * *

They spend a good hour and a half at the park finishing up the rest of their ice cream and talking before heading back to the motel to call it a night. As soon as Gale finishes brushing his teeth, he walks out into the room and plops down onto his mattress face first, his body more than ready for bed. He hears Quinn enter the room a few seconds later.

"Do we need to be up at a specific time tomorrow?" she inquires. He can feel her form hovering near the side of his bed. He shakes his head into his pillow, then rolls onto his side with a sigh. "Nope. We're sleeping in."

"That is if I can sleep through your snoring." she says, pulling back her comforter. When she leans forward to readjust her pillows the way she likes, he can't help but admire the lovely view she was giving him of her toned backside.

"Quit staring at my ass, Hawthorne." When she turns back around, he quickly moves onto his back and pretends to be preoccupied with the ceiling. He catches her eye roll out of the corner of his eye just before she turns out the lights.

"Night, Elmer." she says to him, half-yawning, as she slides in between her cool sheets.

"Elmer?" he questions into the darkness, brow furrowed. He props himself up onto his elbows and glances back at her. "Wait, as in Fudd?"

There's enough light coming from their windows for him to see her form clearly, "Yeah," she responds sleepily, turning around so that her body faces him. "You both got big heads and a silly way of saying things." She chuckles at his expression and he shakes his head at the mischievous smile playing across her lips.

"Whatever." He lays back down and closes his eyes, though he can feel his lips curling upward in a smirk of his own. "But if I'm Elmer Fudd, then that makes you Elmyra Duff."

"The deranged animal lover?"

He grins at the way she scoffs her disagreement. "Well you were the one griping about how I was killing poor, defenseless animals earlier." he reminds.

"That doesn't make me deranged!"

"No. But you do talk to your food. _That_ makes you deranged."

The next thing he knows a pillow is being hurdled his way, along with a murmur of the word, "Ass." It lands beside him and snatches it up eagerly, tucking it behind his head. "Just what I needed. Thanks Ohio!"

"Jerk! Give it back!"

"No way. You gave it to me. It's mine now." He smiles wickedly as he gets himself comfortable under the covers, with his _three_ fluffy pillows. "Night, Duffy."

"Don't call me that." Quinn snaps. He grunts when he suddenly feels his stomach being punched and a pillow being violently pulled from under his head. "This is the thanks I get for buying you ice cream? First you don't tell me my zipper's down, now this? I'm beginning to think you have it out for me, Fabray."

"Says the boy who tried to drown me earlier today!" she grumbles, getting settled back into her own bed, pillow in hand.

"Hey don't blame me for your lack of swimming abilities. That was the first time I saw a grown person use the doggy paddle as a legitimate way of staying afloat." he snickers at the memory. "Even my baby sister's passed that phase and she's five."

He waits for some kind of response but when he doesn't get one right away, he turns his head to see what's taking so long. He isn't really surprised when he finds that she'd fallen asleep on him, considering how late it was and how long of a day it had been. His gaze lingering on her sleeping form, he takes in the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, silently admiring how peaceful she looked. She looks like an angel in the most beautiful, clichéd way possible.

His attention falls to her pink lips and before he knows it he finds himself wondering what it would be like to kiss them. It takes only seconds for him to realize where his thoughts were going. Shoving them away, he quietly clears his throat and averts his gaze.

Jesus. If he had felt drawn to her when he saw her in Central park, it was nothing compared to how he felt now, after spending so much time with her, traveling together. He isn't sure if it's love he's feeling (he tries to remember if he'd ever felt this attracted to anyone before and is unable to come up with anything - but then again of the few girls he'd ever been involved almost all of them had been nothing more than brief 'encounters') but regardless, she's the first thing he sees when he wakes up and the last thing he sees before he goes to bed and frankly he wouldn't have it any other way.

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**AN: As always reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

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	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed! Means a lot. I feel like it's been awhile since I've updated, so sorry about that. I made the mistake of watching an episode of Teen Wolf and needless to say...I'm now hooked and have been sucked into reading (devouring, really) their fanfics like you wouldn't believe. I'm almost positive that if the cast wasn't just so damn nice to look at, I wouldn't be having this problem, but whatever, I digress.**

**Anyways, as always, read. enjoy. review!**

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The closer they get to his hometown, the more ill at ease she becomes.

Quinn knows they're only stopping by Gale's house so that he could fix the oil or clean the tires - or whatever it was he needed to do with the car, but just the idea of _possibly_ meeting his family has that ever present need to be accepted creeping out from inside of her and giving her major anxiety.

What if his siblings don't like her?

What if his mother doesn't approve?

The _What ifs _alone are driving her crazy and while she's well aware of how ridiculous she's being, (it's not like she's Gale girlfriend and needs to make a good impression on his family or anything) she can't help it. Insecurity is (unfortunately) a part of who she is - no thanks to her parents.

Sighing to herself, she turns her gaze away from the window and glances across at Gale. Unintentionally she starts admiring the strong lines of his face while his attention is elsewhere. He looks so much older than he actually was, she finds it hard to believe he's only a few months older than any one of her ex-boyfriends. There was no doubt about it that he was mature for his age, having had to let go of his childhood naiveté early in order to single handedly provide for and take care of his family. That dedication he held toward them was one of the many things she admired about him, and that attracted her to him.

In that moment she realizes she's been staring (thankfully Gale hasn't) and quickly looks forward, her cheeks warm. She knows she has feelings for him (she realized this sometime last night when they were out getting ice cream), but to what extent she doesn't know - or rather she doesn't want to try and figure out.

When she had agreed to go on this trip with him, it hadn't been with the intention of finding herself another boyfriend, or a casual fling, or anything in between. She just wanted - no, _needed_ - an escape from everything and everyone she knew, even if it was only for a matter of hours. She figured allowing Gale to drive her home would give her the chance to help regain some of the sanity she felt to be slipping since before prom, and get in a little adventure at the same time.

She had resolved to stay away from boys and relationships and dating (at least for a while) in order to focus more on herself. And though she knows she had that mind in the beginning of this past school year, this time around she felt more unyielding than before, the bitterness and anger from being dumped fueling her determination.

Only now that hostility she held toward Finn and Rachel was nothing but a distant memory and here she was back to being Quinn Fabray, girl in lo… No.

No. No. No. Not the L word. _That_ word was completely out of her vocabulary.

She couldn't - _wouldn't_ - go back down the same road that had only ever left her with more pain and heartbreak. What she had was a crush. Yes. A simple, innocent crush. A perfectly normal thing for a teenage girl to have and one that she would eventually get over.

As soon as they finish with this thing at his house, she and Gale will drive to Lima, where they will then part, say their goodbyes, and never see each other again. Problem solved. The end.

"You okay, Ohio?"

Hearing Gale's voice snaps her out of her thoughts, prompting her gaze to revert back to him. "Fine." she replies with a clear of her throat. "Why do you ask?"

"You keep fidgeting." he answers, his mouth twitching upward as if he couldn't help it. "You aren't…nervous are you?"

"Nervous?" She mentally curses when her voice cracks. "Me? Why on earth would I be nervous?"

"I don't know." He shrugs, eyes drifting away from the road to glance her way. "You tell me."

She bites down on her bottom lip, her fingers tapping on the outside of her thigh. It takes a minute before she musters up enough courage to respond. She exhales deeply before looking to him. She does her best to not sound too pleading. "Look, if I pay, can we just go to the nearest mechanic and have the car's oil changed there?"

"Quinn," She sighs, knowing that tone, and leans back into her seat. "We're nearly there. Besides I already told my mom I was stopping by at the house." He must have caught sight of her hesitant expression because then _he's_ the one who sighs. "Look, I promise we won't stay long."

She reluctantly turns her head and meets his gaze, smiling faintly in response. Because, while she believes his sincerity, it unfortunately doesn't do much to quell her unease. "Thanks."

"I'm surprised you want to get home all of a sudden." he comments, his eyes flashing to the road, then back to her. "You feeling homesick or something?"

She inwardly scoffs, the very idea of ever being homesick for _Lima_ enough to make her shake her head. Although she would admit that there _had_ been a brief time in her life when she was homesick for her parent's house, when she was bouncing around from household to household last year, but looking back she blames the pregnancy hormones for _ever_ making her miss the house that, in all her seventeen years, had never _really_ felt like a true home.

His brow furrows with honest confusion. "The worst that can happen when we get to the house is us getting roped into playing tea party with Posy. And even then it won't be _that_ bad - Pose makes a mean pot of imaginary tea." he assures with a grin.

She feels a small smile creeping onto her lips at the thought. She had to admit, of all the members of the Hawthorne family, she was actually looking forward to meeting the five year old apple of Gale Hawthorne's eye.

* * *

Before she knows it they're parked outside his house.

And while Gale had successfully been able to distract her for the past couple hours - he didn't know it, but he did - the gnawing anxiety she had _thought_ she'd gotten over shot straight through her the second he parked the car and said, "We're here."

His home, unlike hers, is a quaint little cabin-esque house surrounded by a vast forest that no doubt branched into the national park that Gale told her was nearby. Even from the car, she could make out the famous Smoky Mountains in the distance, peeking out from above the treetops. It was definitely a far cry from the dull farmland scenery she, along with everyone in Lima, had back home.

Instead of getting out just as Gale was doing, she lingers in the car, making up an excuse that would delay the inevitable (at least for a few moments) and that would give her the chance to get herself composed first. She told him she needed to make a call to her mother which, while not true, was probably something she _should_ do, and told him to go on ahead.

She hadn't really spoken to the woman since she had made that call to her at the diner back in Virginia. Every now and then she would leave a text message, letting her know she was alright, but she never received any responses so either her mother didn't care enough to respond back or didn't know how to. She liked to give her mother the benefit of the doubt by thinking it to be the latter (most moms didn't know how to text anyways).

Regardless, she loathes the idea of having to try and make conversation with her mother (how awful of a daughter did that make her?) so instead she opted for sending another message via text. She made it a little longer than her usual ones, feeling obligated to write more than the usual _Don't worry_, _everything's still fine. Be home soon. Love you. Bye. _

She types out her message with relative ease, then after one look at it, she ends up deleting and retyping the entire thing. She does this several times (and not just because she's stalling, though in the back of her mind she figures it's why she's being so anal about the message being right).

She's just hit the send button when a tap comes to the passenger side window. She turns her head in the same instant, not really thinking much of it, and her heart nearly leaps out of her chest at the sight of a face looking at her through the glass.

She swears under her breath, hand still over heart, then exhales deeply. She rolls down her window and smiles at the blonde little girl she assumes to be the infamous Posy standing in front of her door. The first thing she notices about Posy is the fact that she shares Gale's striking (and incredibly beautiful) grey eyes.

Before she can even utter a greeting, Posy starts on her inquisition, head cocked to the side in a way that makes her look even _more_ adorable. "Why are you in my big brother's car?"

Taking notice of the pink and green jump rope in the little girl's hand, Quinn presumes she had been out in the backyard playing when Gale had gone inside the house. She fumbles with an answer, figuring '_your brother picked me up in New York and randomly offered to take me home_' didn't quite sound like the appropriate response she should be giving to an curious five year old.

Lucky for her, Gale came out of the house then and started walking over toward them. Pursing her lips in order to hide her smile, she watches as he creeps up behind his baby sister before grabbing a hold of her, making her squeal in surprise. "Gale!"

With a laugh, he lifts Posy up and she instantly throws her arms around his neck in response, squeezing him with all her might. "I take it you missed me?"

"Did you bring me any presents?" Posy wonders, pulling back enough to look up expectantly at her older brother.

"Maybe." he drawls out, giving a small, teasing shrug. "It depends. Have you been a good girl while I've been away?"

She nods her head earnestly, enthusiastically assuring him that she had. Feeling a little awkward about still being in the car, Quinn reluctantly gets out and closes the door behind her.

"Is _she_ my present?" Posy asks, pointing her little finger toward her. She and Gale both chuckle. "Uh, no, Pose." he says, shaking his head. "That's Quinn. She's a friend of mine."

"Is she your _girlfriend?_" Posy loudly whispers, her head turned so that she could say it into his ear. Gale's cheeks flush and Quinn could feel that hers were doing the same. She leaves it to him to correct his little sister.

"No, she's _just_ a friend." he replies. His gaze flickers toward her, then refocuses back on Posy with a clear of his throat.

"You're really pretty." Posy says to her, with sudden timidity, her arms still wrapped around Gale's neck.

"Not nearly as pretty as you." she replies, which is the honest truth. Posy, without a doubt, is one of the most beautiful little girls she'd ever laid eyes on. She smiles fondly at the girl as a bashful grin creeps onto her little face before her gaze falls back to her brother. "I like her, Gale. You should marry her."

Gale coughs his surprise and immediately sets her back down on the ground. "Uh, why don't you run back into the house and play, Pose." he suggests, thoroughly embarrassed, as he gently places a hand to her back and guides her toward the house.

"Is Quinn going to stay with us?" Posy asks, neck craned back to meet Gale's eyes.

He shakes his head. "No, Pose. We're just here to fix the car, then I have to take her home."

Posy looks from him back to Quinn, then pouts, clearly crestfallen from their plan.

"While Gale's fixing the car, maybe you and I can play together." Quinn suggests, taking a step forward. "He tells me you throw one heck of a tea party and I just happen to _love_ playing tea party."

Her smile grows wider when Posy lights up like the Fourth of July at her suggestion. She might as well had told her that she was getting a unicorn, she would have gotten the same reaction.

The next thing she knows, Posy's got a firm grip on her hand and is leading her toward the house, Gale on her heels. She chuckles at the young girl's eagerness, assuming that it was Posy's upbringing in a predominately male household that had her desperate for a female playmate - a role Quinn had no problem filling.

* * *

"Pose, keep pulling on Quinn's arm like that and you'll yank it right off." Posy, who had been in the process of dragging her into the living room, heeded her brother's warning with wide eyes, and immediately dropped her hand from fear of possibly doing such a thing.

Her heart melts at the sight and she quickly shoots Gale an admonishing glare for evoking such a feeling into his baby sister.

"Gale, you're back?"

She turns her head in time to see a middle aged woman, presumably Gale's mother, walking out of the kitchen, with a blue dishtowel draped over one shoulder. She was like an older version of Posy, with the exception of the grey eyes (hers were cornflower blue).

"Yeah, ma." Gale answers, closing the door behind him. She feels him come up behind her and manages a polite smile when see notices Mrs. Hawthorne's gaze had fallen on her. "Uh, this is Quinn Fabray. The friend I've been telling you about?"

She involuntarily tenses, having been unaware that Gale talked to his mother about her. If it was one thing she hated, it was knowing people were talking about her, _judging _her, behind her back. (One would think a girl who used to be a pregnant ex-head cheerleader would be used to such a thing but regrettably she was not as thick-skinned as she led people to believe).

"I figured as much." Quinn let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when Gale's mother approached her, a warm smile on her lips. "Hello, Quinn. It's nice to finally meet you. Gale's told me so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Hawthorne." she replies, politely shaking the woman's hand. When she takes her hand back, Quinn mentally prays that her hand hadn't felt too clammy to her.

"Please, call me Hazelle."

Hazelle gestures to the living room and Quinn follows her over to the couch. Posy follows suit, having taken a hold of her hand again. She gets the sinking feeling she's about to go through a thorough questioning (a feeling she was not unaccustomed to; she did spend a majority of her high school career as Sue Sylvester's Head Cheerio after all) so she sits herself down and mentally prepares herself for the worst.

Despite not knowing exactly what Gale had told his mother about her, she doesn't find herself _too_ worried. From what she learned from Gale, his mother was not the type to lead a brutal interrogation. Not that she couldn't take it if Mrs. Hawthorne did - over the years she'd learned to remain calm and in control of her emotions under pressure (or at least learned to _appear_ to be).

"So, Quinn, I assume my son has been nothing short of a gentleman during your time together, right?" Hazelle's eyebrow quirks as her gaze falls back onto her son, who was leaning against the armrest Quinn was closest to.

She smiles to herself as the various memories of times when Gale was anything _but_ a gentleman (the lake incident, for one) cross her mind. Of course, she knows better than to bring up any of those instances - not unless she wants to face Gale's wrath - so she nods her head in agreement. "Of course." she says, peering over her shoulder to look at said 'gentleman'. "He was practically a _prince_."

Gale's scowl is enough to make her smirk, but she's quick to make it disappear when she turns back around to face his mother again.

"Mama," Posy hops off her place on the couch next to Quinn and looks to her mother expectantly. "Can Quinn come play with me now? I want to show her my toys."

"Posy, I'm sure Quinn doesn't want to -"

"No, it's okay." she's quick to assure, moving to stand without even realizing it. "I don't mind."

She mentally starts backtracking though, reminding herself that Hazelle had brought her over to the couch to chat and that it would be rude to just get up and leave. "But Posy, I'm sure you can wait a little bit longer - your mother and I just starting talking." she adds, sending an small, encouraging smile the little girl's way.

She watches with mild amusement as Posy exhales heavily and trudges back to the couch, clearly disappointed. "Fine." she sighs, begrudgingly climbing back onto the sofa. She slouches in her seat and out of the corner of her eye Quinn sees Hazelle throw her daughter a disapproving look.

"Well I'll be out in the garage if anyone needs me." Gale says, pushing himself off the armrest he'd been sitting on. "You want to come and help me change the oil on the car, Pose?"

"Okay!" Posy pops out of her seat once more and scampers past the sofa, giggling when her big brother playfully starts chasing her toward the front door.

"Gale, make sure she doesn't get her dress dirty!" Hazelle calls out after them, her voice laced with motherly warning. When the door closes shut, she shakes her head, her gaze falling back onto Quinn with a heavy sigh. "She's going to come back with at least _one_ stain, guaranteed."

* * *

Apparently getting her to open up is a Hawthorne family trait because it isn't long before Quinn finds herself having yet another in depth heart to heart, less than twenty-four hours from her last one. She's been on the couch for at least an hour now with Hazelle, discussing things she had only _just _been able to confide in Gale.

She didn't mean for it to happen but his mother was just one of those people who was warm and understanding - and encouraging - that it was impossible _not_ to feel comfortable sharing with her. Granted she doesn't quite tell her _everything _she had told Gale (this was their first meeting after all) but it's still more than anything she'd ever told her own mother.

A fact she did not take pride in, but that was a fact nevertheless. For the past year now, ever since her mother asked her to come back home, they've been trying (honestly _trying_) to rebuild their relationship. Only problem with that was that they were trying to rebuild a relationship that had _barely_ even existed in the first place.

Her and her mother had never been close. Her older sister had been the pride and joy of the Fabray household and when it became clear to her that Quinn was never going to get anywhere with her parents just being herself, she conformed. She did everything to mold herself into a Frannie 2.0 in hope of finally gaining acceptance in her parent's eyes.

Of course it wasn't enough.

Still that didn't stop her. She continued perfecting every aspect of her life and of herself, figuring that once Frannie left for college, her parents would finally see that their _other_ daughter was just as accomplished, just as talented, just as _perfect _as their eldest.

She kept her insecurities and her problems to herself, knowing that if she ever admitted to having any of those things to mother (never mind her father), she would just be admitting to imperfection - something a Fabray frowned upon.

But apparently her parents knew _long_ before they found out she was pregnant how inadequate their youngest was. They knew she wasn't her sister, they knew she wasn't perfect, and in the years where it was just the three of them, basically told her so through their constant backhanded compliments.

Sure she got more attention and praise when Frannie left, but at the same time her parents _always_ made sure to remind her of her older sister's achievements. No matter how high the number of her own achievements tallied up to, she could never measure up to Frannie.

It was only when she moved back in with her mother that she stopped trying to kid herself. She no longer pretended to be the perfect daughter (since, after going through a teen pregnancy, it was clear she was anything but) or went out of her way to try and please her mother.

And with that she unintentionally put even more of a strain on their already fragile relationship. Now after spending almost all of her life pretending to be something that she wasn't, neither she - nor her mother for that matter - know how to act around each other anymore. They were just two _very_ different people, with little in common aside from the fact that they shared the same house and DNA.

And as unfortunate as it was to say, she honestly didn't see things changing anytime soon.

"So do you think you and Gale are going to stay for dinner?" Hazelle asks her on her way into the kitchen to prepare said dinner. "I know Gale says you're eager to return home, but seeing as how you two do need to eat…"

"I wouldn't exactly say I'm _eager_ to get home." she starts, leaning against the counter while Hazelle washes her hands. "It was more that I was nervous about being around Gale's family."

"What on earth would you have to be nervous about honey?" Hazelle wonders, amused. "We don't bite."

She could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "I know that now but I didn't on the way here." She moves away from the counter to wash her own hands. "Here let me help you with dinner." Hazelle immediately starts to protest and Quinn's in the middle of protesting to her protests when they both hear the front door open, shortly followed by Posy's laughter.

She turns her head, unable to help the smile that spreads across her face as the sight of the little blonde running into the kitchen, a smudge of oil on her left cheek.

"Help! He's after me!" Posy says with a shriek, ducking behind Quinn's skirt just as Gale came barreling through the doorway, growling playfully like a lion.

"Someone is in desperate need of a bath." she comments with a chuckle, eyeing Gale's less than orderly appearance. Not only did he have dirty hands from changing the car's oil, but he also had blades of grass sticking out of his hair and dirt on his clothes. She assumes he was out playing in the yard with Posy.

"Make that _three_ someones." Hazelle corrects with exasperation, shaking her head as her two other sons came running into the kitchen, looking just as grimy. "What happened to you three?"

"Vick and Rory came home from playing with the Donaldson kids and found me out in the yard with Posy - next thing I know I'm in the middle of a wrestling match." Gale answers, straightening up, then pulls the taller boy of the two - who she assumes is Rory - into a headlock, effectively ruffling up his hair.

"Who's _she_?" Vick asks, pointing and looking to her curiously.

"Her name is Quinn and she's Gale girlfriend." Posy responds, poking her head out from behind Quinn's dress. "So be nice to her."

"She's not my girlfriend, Pose." Gale sighs, rolling his eyes with a shake of his head before releasing his younger brother. "She's _just_ a friend."

Rory - who, even at twelve, was growing into being a dead ringer of his older brother - didn't look convinced. "Uh-huh. Right."

"Whatever." Gale retorts, pushing at his brother's head. "You two go wash up. You both smell like ass."

"_Language_, Gale." Hazelle reprimands, before turning her attention onto her younger sons. "Rory. Vick. Say hello to Gale's friend, Quinn before you go. Quinn, this here is Vick and this is Rory." She smiles politely and gives a small wave to the boys, greeting them with a soft 'hello'.

They mumble a shy response or two before quickly ducking out of the room. Gale shakes his head at them on their way out, then lets his gaze fall back on her. "Sorry about those two. Put them in the presence of a beautiful girl and all of a sudden they're mutes."

She smiles half-heartedly but doesn't look at him, even though he's complimenting her, because really she doesn't need any more of a reason to like him than she already does. "So, is - did you get everything taken care of with the car?" she inquires, finally raising her gaze to meet his.

"Yeah, we're all good to go." he replies, stepping forward toward the sink, where she was standing by. She doesn't know why but when he advances, she takes a step back - involuntarily bumping into Posy who was still behind her, holding onto the hem of her dress, in the process.

Gale looks at her strangely but doesn't comment on her behavior (thankfully) as he moves to wash his hands. "Just let me get cleaned up then we can get back on the road."

"Quinn, no!" Posy exclaims, her little arms flying to wrap around her right leg. "We haven't played tea party yet and I haven't showed you my toys! You can't go!"

She caresses the back of Posy's head while addressing Gale. "Actually I was going to ask you if it was alright if we stayed for dinner." _Maybe longer_, she almost adds, after catching a glimpse of the tears that had welled up in Posy's eyes.

"Yeah, of course." he nods, his expression softening at the sight of his distraught baby sister. "But only if you're sure. I don't want you to think you _have_ to be here."

"No, I _want_ to." she assures, looking down to Posy and smiling. Posy gleefully returns the gesture and releases her leg, bouncing slightly from jubilance. "C'mon, baby girl." Gale says, reaching down and scooping her up into his arms. "Let's go get cleaned up."

As she watches the pair leave the room she can't help but smile a little. _Gale is going to make a wonderful father someday_, she thinks absentmindedly, too distracted to really register where her thoughts were drifting to.

Eventually she turns back around, only to find Hazelle staring at her, the corners of her lips turned up into a knowing smile (the one mothers that usually sport) that quickly has Quinn averting her gaze, cheeks aflame.

* * *

**AN: Wasn't exactly where I wanted this chapter to end, but oh well. As always reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry for the long wait, things have been a little hectic for me.**

**Anyways, read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

Quinn reminds him of a warm summer breeze - unexpected but welcome.

From his place on the grass, he watches her while simultaneously participating in a game of catch with his younger brothers. It had been his mother's suggestion that they all go down to the local park after dinner since it was still light out and the air had cooled down considerably, making it the perfect time for a family outing.

Admittedly he's only _half_ paying attention to his brothers, the other half of his focus being on Quinn and Posy, who were down at the playground. His mother was nearby chatting up their female neighbors while on one of the park benches.

He blindly tosses the football when it comes to him now, his gaze lingering on Quinn a few seconds longer after every throw. While she's in sight he starts to think that maybe he should have listened to her and had just gone to a mechanic for the oil change, thereby avoiding bringing her here altogether.

Not that he has a problem with her being here and hitting it off with his family - not _really_ - but hell, it was bad enough he was attracted to her as strongly as he was before, and now, after seeing her bond with his family (his baby sister especially), it felt like that attraction was just growing to a whole other level.

Which isn't what he wants, or should he say, what he _needs_.

Fleetingly he redirects his gaze onto his brothers, only to nearly get decked in the face with a football. Luckily he has fast reflexes and is able to sidestep out of the way before it hits him. Shaking his head, he bends down and curtly snatches up the ball before looking back at his brothers.

"You would have seen it coming if you hadn't been so busy staring at your girlfriend!" Vick teases while Rory snickers beside him.

He rolls his eyes and throws the ball back at them, with probably more force than necessary, before walking off the grass and onto the pavement.

His relationship with Quinn was in a good place. They trust each other and because of that they've let each other in on a deeper personal level that he himself has never done with anyone - not even his old friend Katniss.

He doesn't want to suppress his feelings but he knows better than to try something as stupid as attempting to break past the friend zone with Quinn. Given her less than successful track record when it came to relationships, he figures she's not exactly keen about dating (especially so soon after her break up with that oaf Finn) let alone having another boyfriend.

And hell he doesn't even know if he'd make a good boyfriend or not. The only relationships he's ever had before were mostly physical ones and that was because he didn't have the time to devote to anything more - his family had, and always has, been his first priority (and yeah that state of mind sometimes killed his chances at a dating life, but whatever. It was worth it.)

But now things have changed. His mother was no longer unemployed and the family was no longer struggling to meet ends meet which meant more time for himself. Time which, as of right now, he could only think of spending with Quinn.

He cares about her, quite possibly more than he'll ever dare admit aloud, but still he can't risk ruining what they have now and possibly losing their friendship (losing _her_) all together. She's been through so much as it is which is why he refuses to be selfish about this.

Sighing to himself, he heads down the pathway separating the sand from the grass then takes up the vacant seat next to his mother on the bench.

"Hey, ma." he greets, leaning back in his seat. He peers over his shoulder to ensure his brothers are still within sight and not doing anything they shouldn't be. His gaze falls forward again when he sees that they're just as he left them, throwing the football around.

"So Quinn is a very lovely girl," Hazelle starts prompting Gale to shake his head to himself. His mother had never been one for subtlety.

"Yeah, very." he agrees coolly, his gaze involuntarily flickering over to where said girl is.

"And you two are _just_ friends?"

He nods his head, then looks to his mother questionably. "Yeah, why?"

"_Gale_." she sighs, turning her head with _that_ look - the one mothers sport when they know more than their child is letting them in on but aren't straight out admitting to it yet

"Mom," he says in a similar tone, almost biting back a groan. The last thing he wants is to discuss his personal life with her. "_please_."

"I've seen the way you look at her, Gale." Hazelle says, ignoring his plea. Then after a pause and a sidelong glance, she adds, "I've also seen the way she looks at _you_."

"Things are more complicated than you think, mom." he says rather sharply. He doesn't need her putting ideas in his head, making him think that Quinn feels the same way about him that he does about her. He knows his mind on the matter was made up anyhow but still he doesn't want to hear it. He _can't_.

He pushes himself upright without another word and heads over to the playground. He searches the vicinity for the two blondes he came here with only to come up empty handed. Frowning, he spins around and it takes a few seconds but eventually he catches sight of Posy and Quinn coming out of the girl's restroom nearby.

Brushing off the brief moment of panic, he relaxes and makes his way over to them. Upon noticing him, Posy scurries ahead to greet him.

"Having fun, baby girl?" he asks, scooping her up in his arms as soon as she's close enough.

"Yeah, but I hurt myself." she says, pointing at her left elbow which now had a band-aid covering it. "Quinn made it all better."

He lifts his gaze and smiles appreciatively at her, then looks pointedly at Posy. "And did you tell her _thank you?_"

"Yes, _Gale_." Posy sighs, nearly giving him an eye roll.

"Good." He sets her back down and lets her return to the playground. "So what happened?" he asks, slowly turning his attention back onto Quinn.

"She was running around then tripped and skinned her elbow." she replies, shouldering her purse. "It wasn't too deep thankfully. And don't worry I made sure to clean her wound before I covered it, so it wouldn't get infected."

"You always carry band-aids around with you?" he wonders with a smile, the two of them now walking along side each other on their way back to the playground. He keeps just enough distance between them so they wouldn't accidentally brush against each other. Suddenly being so close to her has him feeling nervous with his heart beating quicker than normal and if touch is added to the occasion he's not sure he'll be able to play it off as nothing like he did when he took her hand that one time.

"My friend Brittany tends to get herself into sticky situations and I guess I've learned to always be prepared for someone getting hurt." she replies with a small shrug. "It never hurts to be safe than sorry."

"You would have made a terrific mom."

The words are out of his mouth before he can even process them but when he does realize his error he quickly resolves to fix it - or at least try to. "I just - I didn't mean…" His ability to spit out a coherent response fails him and he inwardly groans. What a stupid thing for him to say - especially about a matter so sensitive to her. Regardless of the fact that they've opened up to one another, he knows that there are certain personal issues you just don't want to bring up on a daily basis.

She doesn't say anything at first and his heart clenches at the expression in her eyes he manages to catch a glimpse of before she turns her head. He opens his mouth to make another attempt at an apology but closes it shortly thereafter. He figures it best to just keep quiet rather than inadvertently dig himself into a deeper hole.

Finally she says, in a soft voice, "Posy reminds me of her - Beth." she admits with a heavy sigh. "Or at least what I imagine Beth to look like in a couple years."

He nods encouragingly but remains silent. "I'm having a ball with her, don't get me wrong. She's a sweetheart and smart. I just - I kind of wish I wasn't enjoying myself as much as I am because spending time with her, it just reminds me of what I gave up. What I _regret_ giving up."

The strain in her voice is evident and coupled with the way she's keeping her gaze averted, he can tell she's trying not to get overly emotional.

"You will be a mother someday, Quinn. A _terrific_ one." he assures, slowing his pace. "When you're _ready_. You haven't lost your chance."

She slows as well and reluctantly turns toward him. She leans in - surprising him - and puts her arms around him. He reciprocates without hesitation, running his hands over her back, his chin resting against her head. She places her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes as she hugs him.

"All the same, thanks for the compliment."

He holds her like that for a good minute - maybe more, who's keeping track? - and though he knows he's far too young to be thinking about marriage, while he revels in the feel of her in his arms, he can't help but think that if he had met Quinn ten years from now, he would probably believe that she was the _one_.

* * *

"Admit it Ohio, Posy has you wrapped around her little finger." he says with a triumphant smile. He steals a sidelong glance at Quinn and laughs at her expression.

"Like you're any better." she retorts after releasing an indignant scoff. She turns her body toward his and with a smirk, continues, "You know I bet if she ever asked you to play dress up with her and put on some earrings and pearls, you would _so_ do it."

"I draw the line at cross-dressing." he says, firmly shaking his head. "Even for Posy."

He shoots her a warning look when he catches that wry smile of hers. "Don't even think about putting any ideas into my baby sister's head."

"Oh, I won't." she says in a tone that totally belies her words. He playfully glares at her for it, then makes a mental note to be on guard for any dress up requests from Posy.

It's been a few days since they first arrived in his hometown and while not originally part of the plan, it was proving to be the best decision they could have made. Though Quinn had showed apprehension earlier, now it was a thing of the past and he liked to think she was thoroughly enjoying herself here.

He knows Quinn wasn't eager to return home which was probably why she was so agreeing when his mother brought up the idea of staying in town for a while longer - he swears that woman's purposefully trying to push him and Quinn together as much as she can.

Not that he could really complain or anything; if he was being honest he had no desire for her to return to Ohio either. But still…

"So where are we going exactly?" Quinn questions, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looks to her and sees that she's taking in their surroundings with a confused brow.

The last of daylight faded some twenty minutes ago and they've been walking for a few blocks toward a destination he had yet to reveal to her.

"A bar." he replies casually, his hands deep in his pockets.

"A _bar?_"she repeats, halting mid step. He keeps walking.

"You're the one who said you wanted to know where all the local kids hang out." he reminds, briskly walking ahead of her.

"Yeah, but I assumed it was the mall or the malt shop or something!" she exclaims, reaching out and grabbing onto his forearm in attempt to slow him down.

He scoffs. "The malt shop?" he repeats, amused. "Maybe in 1955."

She scowls at him, then in a very serious manner, says, "Last time I got drunk, I got pregnant, Gale."

"You know I still don't buy that story." he says with a glance. "No one gets drunk off of _wine coolers_." She smacks his arm for that one and he gives an (exaggerated) indignant cry that quickly turns into half a laugh.

"Anyways I'm bringing you here because there just happens to be great live music and dancing." he says, grabbing a hold of her hand when they round the corner and reach the bar. "You don't have to drink if you don't want to."

"I'll have a drink or… two," she responds, getting a surprised raised brow from him, "but you have to promise to make sure I don't do anything to embarrass myself - just as a precaution."

He laughs but nods agreeingly, pulling open the door to the place and stepping aside. "As long as you promise to do the same, Ohio."

* * *

"So you come here often?"

Gale stops mid sip and gives her a sideways glance. He smiles slightly because it isn't the first time he's heard that line in this bar before - but of course now it's in a completely different context coming from Quinn. She's just asking a innocent question not trying to put the moves on him.

"On occasion." he nods, taking long sip of his beer. "Sometimes me and the guys come here to chill." He looks around the room much like Quinn is and taps his fingers to the beat of the music playing.

"You mean pick up girls." she corrects. He turns his head and shakes his head at the sly curve of her lips noticeable from behind the rim of her bottle. "Okay, maybe that happened…once or twice…"

She makes a face and he can't help but laugh. "Okay, okay, it happened pretty often." He points his bottle at her, then adds, "But I'm no manwhore."

"Of course not." she says coolly, sweeping her bangs aside before giving him a pointed smirk. "I would never be caught dead in public with a manwhore."

They share a laugh before he takes another swig of his beer. He gets up from the table they're sitting at shortly after. "Come on," he extends his arm and beckons to her, "let's dance."

"Now there's a sentence I never expected to hear in my life from you." Quinn says with a short laugh, setting her purse down before rising from her chair. "I think the alcohol is finally taking effect. Any chance you'll start serenading me later in the evening?"

"Only if you return the favor," he responds, maneuvering through the crowd until they made it onto the makeshift dance floor. "and pair it with some of those glee club dance moves of yours - and don't act like you don't have any. I _know_ you do more than mindlessly sway in the background."

"Shows what you know!" she says, giggling lightly when he twirls her around in a circle. He swears it's the best sound in the world.

"I can get away with just mouthing along to the music and no one would even notice." she continues; he pulls her close to him. "Well, except maybe Rachel, if she still has the choir room bugged that is…" she trails off with a shake of her head. "Let's talk about something else, _anything_ else."

Just when she was about to say something more, a voice called out his last name. He turns his head in time to see one of his oldest friends making his way through the crowd and over to them. Part of him is disappointed at the intrusion but hell if he had wanted privacy he should have known better than to come to the town's most popular hangout.

"Thom," he greets with a nod, one hand dropping from Quinn's waist. "How've you been?" He hasn't seen him since before he went off on his road trip.

"Evidently not as good as you." Thom replies, giving Quinn the once over, then nodding to him his approval. Gale's grip on her automatically tightens. He knows damn well what that glint in Thom's eyes meant and to have it directed at Quinn did not sit well with him.

"Quinn, this is my old friend Thom." he reluctantly says, introducing the two. "Thom, this is _Quinn_." He says her name with what he hopes is enough emphasis because if Thom so much as hits on her _in front of him_, he's not sure what he might do.

"Oh, _Quinn_." Thom repeats in the same tone, a smirk playing across his lips. "So it's like that." he says with an understanding, albeit it surprised, nod, "Well good for you, Hawthorne. And here I was thinking that you were forever destined to be hung up on Katniss. Who, by the way, is here. You know that, right? With Mellark."

He has to fight the urge to throw his head back and swear to the ceiling. Instead he opts to just exhale and nod because this was a small town they lived in and if he's being honest, he was surprised that he actually managed to avoid any awkward run-in's with her since he returned home. She did just live a few houses down from him after all and their mothers were like best friends.

"Yeah, thanks for the warning." he remarks with a distant nod. His gaze flickers across the room for any sight of the duo he'd rather not encounter tonight. Or ever.

Thom must have caught on to his less than welcoming vibe because shortly after he's saying how he should get back to the group he came with. "It was nice meeting you." he says to Quinn who politely returns the gesture.

"I'll see you later, man." he nods to Gale, giving a quick pat to his shoulder before disappearing back into the crowd.

"We can leave if you want." Quinn offers once it was back to being just the two of them. He shakes his head in response and for a second hesitates before putting his hands back on her waist. "We just got here and I promised I'd show you a good time - you know one that doesn't have the potential to result in childbearing." He gets another chuckle out of her and he cracks a smile of his own because hers was so damn infectious.

It's just one of the many things about her he wishes didn't affect him nearly as much as they did.

* * *

Like most guys, he's not a dancer.

It's something he doesn't like to do but something he does nevertheless; more often than not just to appease whatever girl he was with at the moment in order to increase the likelihood of getting some action. _That_, however, is the farthest thing from his mind while he's with Quinn.

They've been at it for awhile now and they've started to realize that the more they danced the more they sweated and the more they sweated the more they drank and the more they drank, the more they danced. It was a cycle that didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.

At least not if they could help it.

"Do you feel drunk, Tennessee?" Quinn asks him over the loud music. "Because I don't."

He shakes his head. "Me either." For all the drinks the two of them have been consuming he's surprised he doesn't feel even the slightest bit tipsy. Maybe it had something to do with all the dancing they were doing but either way he felt _good_.

But of course that feeling quickly fades when he catches sight of the two people he would have rather avoided making their way over to him. God must be finally getting back at him for all the underage drinking he's done.

Sighing to himself, he reluctantly drops his hands from Quinn's waist. "What's wrong?" she asks, redirecting her gaze and sensing his change in disposition. He jerks his chin behind her and she peers over her shoulder, then nods understandingly.

"We can still make a run for it." she offers with a soft smile, back to facing him. "Although we might have to push some people out of the way."

"Gale." He lifts his head at the sound of his name and can't help but lock eyes with Katniss.

"Hey, Katniss." he says coolly, mentally thanking God he hadn't called her _Catnip_. He looks to the blonde boy next to her and nods. "Peeta."

"How've you been?" Katniss asks clearly showing some discomfort. Good that makes four of them.

"Good." Not wanting to be rude his gaze falls back to Quinn and introduces them. "Guys, this is my friend Quinn. Quinn, Katniss and Peeta."

As Quinn shakes their hands, he catches sight of the look Katniss giving him and scowls. It basically reads, _Really Gale? Another blonde?_

"Gale's told me a lot about you two." Quinn says, pulling back. Katniss' eyes flicker with surprise. She knows better than anyone that he doesn't open up to just anybody.

"So, uh, Katniss says you've been checking out colleges." Peeta says in attempt to make small talk. Out of the three of them he's the most likely one to try. "How was that going?"

"It was great." he responds, his jaw tight. _Now go away. _

Peeta nods, knowing well enough he's not going to get much out of him - they both know he's not Gale's favorite person.

For a good minute no one says anything and had it not been for the live music and people enjoying themselves, crickets probably could've been heard. It's an awkward as hell situation to be in and he honestly doesn't know what Katniss thought would come of it.

"We haven't talked in a while, Gale." she finally starts, meeting his gaze.

"Yeah." He figures if he sticks to one word answers she'll take the hint and the two of them will leave.

"I really want to hear about your trip." she continues. "Maybe we can go hunting sometime soon."

"Maybe." he shrugs. He knows well enough that there's no getting back to the way things used to be between them; things have just changed too much.

After sharing a look with Katniss, Peeta speaks up again. "Well, it was nice seeing you, Gale." his gaze falls to Quinn politely. "And it was nice meeting you."

"I'll see you around, Gale." Katniss says, her tone sounding more questioning than she probably would have wanted.

He watches and waits until their figures disappear into the crowd before releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He hears Quinn giggle and at the sound of her laugh, his gaze snaps back to her. Raising an eyebrow, he asks, "What?"

Controlling her laughter, she manages out, "Now did I hear wrong or did you actually say that guy's name was _Peeta? _Like the _bread?"_

"No, you heard right." he responds, managing a smile. "He works at his father's bakery - it's just a nickname everyone calls him by… or at least I _hope_ it's just a nickname. I've never really asked about it."

Quinn covers her face as she laughs and he joins along though he's not too sure why she's so giggly. Must be the alcohol. "I'm sorry," she gasps, still smiling like crazy, "but that's just such a stupid name! Nickname or otherwise!"

"Tell me about it." he laughs.

"And Gale," she says suddenly, more composed and the serious tone back in her voice. She places both hands on her shoulders. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way but you and Katniss…"

His brow knits together in confusion. "What?"

"You two," she pauses and he thinks that now that they're not dancing, the alcohol's starting to finally catch up on them -or just her. "you two look like you could be family. Like cousins or something." She starts giggling like mad again.

"Ohio," It takes him a couple seconds for him to compose himself and look her in the eye with a straight face. "this is the South, we probably are."

This sends them into a fit of uncontrollable laughter for at least two songs.

* * *

Okay, now he's positive he's _completely_ wasted.

He can't remember exactly how many drinks he consumed but judging by the way he can't seem to focus properly, he figures it's _pretty_ large number. In part he blames Katniss and Peeta because fuck, if they had just left him alone and evaporated, he probably wouldn't have drank so much in the latter half of the night. They just had to stand across the room - in his direct line of vision by the way - and dance _and_ laugh, _and_ you know, kiss.

A sickening sight that even now he can't get out of his head.

"Gale," he follows the sound of his voice and his gaze falls on Quinn who - surprisingly - is the only thing he's able to see clearly. "Which way to your house?"

"Pretty sure we're going the right way." he replies, blinking heavily in attempt to get the colorful spots from out of his vision.

He was _so_ going to be in deep shit with his mother when he showed up at home as intoxicated as he was.

"This is all your fault you know." she says unevenly. "We wouldn't be so drunk if you hadn't decided to buy every drink known to man."

He looks down at her and smirks. "You didn't have to drink them with me you know."

"It would have been in poor taste not to." she counters, linking her arm with his - presumably for balance. He just shakes his head and continues walking, enjoying the feeling of her body against his.

She leans her head against his arm. "You still thinking about her?"

"About who?"

"You know damn well who, Gale." she sighs, eyes closed.

"Well now I am." he says with a slight twinge of irritation. He kind of had hoped he could go at _least_ five minutes without thinking of her.

"She's an idiot, Tennessee." she says, slurring his nickname.

"It all happened so fast." he murmurs bitterly, staring straight ahead. "One minute she's the Katniss I've always known and the next thing I know I'm looking at her differently, feeling more for her….and look what happened." He shakes his head in contempt. He should have known better than to get involved with his best friend.

"She strung you around, made you think that she chose you, then at the last second decides she wants the fabulous baker boy. So what. You're better off without her."

"Yeah, well, I won't be making that same mistake twice." he says definitively. "From now on my friends are going to stay friends. And nothing more."

"You know you sure are broody even when you're drunk." she says, suddenly sliding her arm out from around his and dropping it.

He frowns at her sudden shift in mood, then before he knows it, feels his own changing as well. When he has alcohol in his system it doesn't take much provocation to set him off. "What's your problem?" he asks, his voice harsh.

"Nothing." she snaps, crossing both arms over her chest as she quickens her pace.

He sees right through that answer and easily catches up to her. "Then there most definitely _is_ a problem." He's been around girls long enough to know that 'nothing' from a girl means just the opposite.

"My problem is, Gale, that _you_ got me drunk."

"You did that all on your own!" he exclaims. It wasn't like she _had_ to drink as much as she did. And it wasn't like he egged her on or anything.

"Why the hell did you have to take me to a bar anyways?" she demands, her voice beginning to rise. "We're underage and if we get caught out here by the cops and they see how wasted we are, then we'll go to jail."

"Relax, would you?" he snaps, his hand going to massage his temple. Great, now the headache was kicking in. "No one's going to _jail_."

"Ugh, why the hell are you so freakishly tall?" she huffs. It isn't until then that he realizes she's practically jogging in order to keep up with his long strides.

If he was sober he would probably slow down, but he's not. He's drunk, he has a headache and he's irritable, so he keeps to his pace. "Why the hell are you so short?" he counters.

"Why the hell are you so moody?"

"Why the hell do you eat so much bacon? Seriously, if I had a nickel for every time you consumed some I'd be a fuckin' millionaire by now!" he yelled.

Picking up on his tone, she shot back just as loudly. "I'd be a millionaire too if I had a nickel for every time you _scowled_!"

She runs off on a tangent, rambling and yelling, and just about cursing him to the moon and back. And here he was thinking she'd just been exaggerating about the whole being an 'angry drunk' thing.

His hands fly to his face and he groans because hell, her jabbering has caused a sudden spike in the intensity of his headache. "Quinn!" he bellows in heavy exasperation, stopping and prompting her to do the same. "Just shut up!"

He's standing there, chest heaving, head throbbing, and she's looking at him like she's seconds away from vaporizing him; he doesn't understand it but suddenly he has this overwhelming feeling in his chest and before he can process it any further, he's pulling her into an embrace.

His lips close over hers, preventing her from vocalizing her surprise or whatever tirade she had ready to unleash on him.

He kissed her with such fervor that he lost all sense of what had lead up to this moment. All he could process was that he was finally kissing her and that it was the best damn feeling in the world. His grip on her tightens just as her lips slowly start to respond - and god did it feel like he had electricity coursing through his veins when she did - but before he can continue to revel in her taste, she's pulling away, and the next thing he knows her fist is coming at his face.

She gives him such a punch that it literally spins his head around like a fucking cartoon. The force of it makes him lose balance and he doubles over, both hands instantly going to his nose which had a profuse amount of blood oozing out of it.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he demands, his voice nasal from all the blood seeping from his nose.

"What's the hell is wrong with _me_?" she echoes in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you! You can't just tell a girl to _shut up _then kiss her and think she's going to be okay with it! This is not some 1940's movie!"

"You're lucky I don't have a frying pan on me otherwise you would have really been sorry!"

_This girl has seriously lost her mind! _"What?"

She opens her mouth to retort, falters, then quickly snaps, "Shut up, you know I've been watching _Tangled_ with Posy lately."

He laughs without humor and raises his eyebrows questioningly. "Oh so you can tell _me_ to shut up but I can't tell you to? Talk about your double standard!"

"Of course you can't tell me to shut up!"

"And why the hell not?" he demands, hands moving to his hips.

"Because I'm a god damn lady that's why!" she yells with a defiant raise of her chin. She takes a quick second to smooth out her dress before sharply turning on her heel and storming off.

All he can do is shake his head and watch as she unsteadily, but determinedly, makes her way down the street.

She's unbelievable. He kisses her and how does she react? By taking her fist to his face and breaking his god damn nose.

* * *

**AN: As always, reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


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